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MEMOIRS OF WILHELMINE 

MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 



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WILHrLMlNE MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 



FROM AN ORIGINAL PORTRAIT AT BERLIN. 



MEMOIRS OF WILHELMINE, 

MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH 



TRANSLATED AND EDITED BY 

HER ROYAL HIGHNESS , PRINCESS CHRISTIAN 

OF SCHLESWIG HOLSTEIN 
PRINCESS OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND 



WITH PORTRAIT 



NEW YORK 
SCRIBNER & VVELFORD, 743 & 745, BROADWAY 

MDCCCLXXXVII 






935 



"^c Henderson, Rait, & Spalding, Printers, 3 S: '^, Mari/h-bone Lave, London, W 



MY DEAR BROTHER-IN-LAW 

FREDEEICK WILLIAM 

CROWN PRINCE OF THE GERMAN EMPIRE 
AND OF PRUSSIA 

THIS TRANSLATION" IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Ix publisldiig this translation of these curious memoirs, it will 
perhaps not be out of place to give some slight account of the 
personages who play so prominent a part in them. The 
Margravine Frederica Sophie "Wilhelmine of Brandenburg- 
Baireuth, was the eldest daughter of Frederick William I. of 
Prussia, and his wife Sophie Dorothea, of Hanover, daughter 
of George I. of England. She was born at Berlin on the 3rd 
July, 1709, and was three years older than Frederick the 
Grreat, the brother to whom she was so ardently devoted, and 
over whom she had so great an influence. The love for her 
brother was the one bright spot in a life whose difficulties 
and troubles have probably seldom been equalled. Although 
idolizing Frederick, and foreseeing the greatness he would one 
day attain, she was nevertheless not blind to his failings. 
How she suffered with him and through him are most 
touchingly told in the following pages. Even her marriage 
hardly lessened the closeness of her intercourse with her 
brother. She was the only person to whom he ever showed 
his real nature, and whom he really loved. In order properly 
to understand this singular narrative it is necessary to realize 
what the Berlin Court was at that time. Frederick I., grand- 
father of Wilhelmine, had been extravagant and splendour- 
loving in the extreme, but on the succession of her father to 



U IXTEODUCTIOX. 



the tkrone all was clianged. TMs King was possessed of 
considerable administrative ability, but at the same time tbe 
wish to make his country one of the first military powers of 
Europe took hold of him to such a degree that he considered 
no sacrifice too great if it promoted this object. " With a wise 
instinct Frederick "William had discerned that all things in 
Prussia must point towards his army ; that his army was the 
heart and pith ; the State being the tree, every branch and 
leaf bound, after its sort, to be nutritious and productive for 
the army's behoof. That probably for any nation in the long 
run, and certainly for the Prussian nation straightway, life 
or death depends on the army. Frederick William's head, in 
an inarticulate manner, was full of this just notion, and all his 
life was spent in organizing it to a practical fact."* To defray 
the expenses of this army he exercised in the other depart- 
ments of his Grovernment, as well as in his Court, a strict 
economy, that seemed in the eyes of his contemporaries to be 
nothing but the most sordid avarice. Within two months he 
had so regulated the expenses of the ad-ministration and 
his household, as to reduce them to one-fifth of what they had 
been, and by degrees he carried similar reforms into every 
department. Economy was the order of the day, and his 
country soon bore the stamp of absolute military despotism. 
It was only within the last hundred years that Brandenburg 
had had any standing army of its ovniy but by 1726 Frederick 



* Carlyle. History of Frederick the Great. Book V., chap, v., 
page 577. 



INTRODUCTION. lU 



William's forces consisted of 60,000 thoroughly disciplined 
soldiers. 

The King ruled his family with the same harsh despotism 
with which he ruled his country, taking pleasure in making 
his power felt by all in the most galling manner. The 
Margravine and her brother had much to suffer, not only from 
his ungovernable temper, but also from the real privations to 
which they were subjected. Despite the almost cruel treat- 
ment Wilhelmine received from her father, it is noticeable that 
throughout her memoirs she speaks of him with the greatest 
affection. She makes constant reference to his " good heart ;" 
and that his faults " were more those of temper than of 
nature." The food at the King's table was poor and scanty, 
his children's clothes were more than simple, and we are told 
that the Queen and her daughters were obliged to take part 
in the domestic work. 

The home was darkened by perpetual quarrels, and from 
her earliest childhood. Princess Wilhelmine had been sur- 
rounded by a network of intrigues set on foot by the House 
of Hapsburg to prevent a possibility of a closer alliance 
between Prussia and England. 

The Queen, Wilhelmine's mother, had set her heart on a 
double marriage with England, between Wilhelmine and the 
Prince of Wales, and Frederick and Princess Amelia. It was 
her one cherished idea to see her daughter Queen of England, 
and for this end she was ready to sacrifice everything, even 
her children's happiness. The Queen's remarkable deter- 
mination of character asserted itself wherever the future of her 



IV INTHODUCTION. 



children was concerned. After ten years' efforts it seemed as 
if she might hope for success : the King was not averse, and 
the English Court had consented. Indeed the treaty was 
signed, but owing to the policy of the House of Hapshurg, 
was destined never to be carried out. The Catholic Emperor 
and his advisers considered the project would endanger the 
supremacy of Austria. A close alliance with England would 
make Protestant Prussia so strong, that her predominance in 
Grermany might become doubtful. His emissary, Seckendorf, 
was despatched to the Prussian Court, where he sowed sus- 
picion and jealousy in the mind of the King, who, now ever 
distrustful, angry, and suspicious, stood on the one side, the 
Queen on the other with her two elder children. Prince 
Frederick was driven to desperation and unsuccessful flight. 
In the Margravine's Memoirs there is a most graphic 
account of this period of misery. She did not know Grrum- 
kow and Seckendorf were at the bottom of it all, she only 
suspected them, and her account is, in consequence, some- 
times rather warped. "But after this has been pulled 
straight," to quote Carlyle, " and some exaggeration deducted 
from it" — exaggeration we cannot wonder at when we 
consider the vital interest of the question to her, and the 
personal persecutions to which she and her loved brother were 
subjected — "you will find her always true, lucid, and 
charmingly human, and by far the best authority on this 
part of her brother's history."* 

* Carlyle. History of Frederick the Great. Vol. I., Book V., chap, vi., 
page 606. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The Hapsburg policy, which, was secretly moving the 
Prussian Councils, did not consider the breaking off of the 
English alliance sufficient safeguard against the undue 
aggrandisement of Prussia, and a marriage with the 
Margrave of Baireuth was urged on Princess Wilhelmine 
as a poKtical necessity. The Princess proved willing to 
accept this unknown suitor for the good of her family, for 
the sake of peace, and, more than all, to save her brother 
from further persecution. 

By consenting to this marriage, however, she fell into dire 
disgrace with the Queen, who never forgave her. This 
sacrifice only tended to unite her more closely with her 
brother. His noble nature repaid her with increased love 
and gratitude. 

After her marriage Wilhelmine remained, not only bound 
by affection to him, but by mutual intellectual interests. 

We learn from Katt, Frederick the Grreat's reader, that 
the King considered he owed all his taste for study, all his 
love of work, and the habit of never being idle, to this 
sister. 

She and her brother were among the first of those 
questioning minds that strove after spmtual freedom. They 
had studied the English philosophers, Newton, Locke, and 
Shaftesbury, and were roused to enthusiasm by the writings 
of Yoltaire* and Eousseau. Their whole lives bore the 

* A volume of the Margravine's correspondence with Voltaire has been 
published in German by Dr. George Horn in 1865. These letters form an 
interesting sequel to the memoirs. An English Translation will, it is 
hoped, be published in a few months. — Note. Inj Translator. 



VI INTRODUCTION. 



impress of the influence of Frenoli thouglit on the burning 
questions of the day. In the 18th century began that 
great struggle of philosophy against tyranny and worn-out 
abuses which culminated in the French Eevolution. The 
noblest minds were engaged in the struggle, and, like most 
reformers, they pushed their conclusions to extremes, and too 
often lost sight of the need of a due proportion in things. 
The Margravine's influence on the intellectual development 
of her country is untold. She formed at Baireuth a centre 
of culture and learning which had before been undreamt of 
in Grermany. 

At Sansouci Frederick the Great surrounded hunseK with 
thinkers, and formed a similar centre of cultivation. He 
allowed the utmost freedom of thought and writing through- 
out Prussia, and it is not one of the least of his merits that, 
in spite of his predilection for everything French, he 
encouraged the most gifted of Grerman writers to gather at 
his Court, where his rare mental gifts, his sound good sense, 
and his grand patriotism exercised the most beneficial influ- 
ence on letters and civilization. Modern critics have accused 
Wilhelmiue of historical inaccuracies in her memoirs, but 
after making allowance for some exaggeration in her 
accounts and views of people and of circumstances, 
they have never dared to doubt the general veracity of the 
whole narrative. It should be borne in mind that these 
memoirs were written at a moment when her heart was 
bleeding afresh under the knowledge of her husband's 
intimacy with Mademoiselle von Marwitz. 



INTRODUCTION. Vll 



Althougli married, almost against her will, to a man she 
knew nothing of, the Margravine soon became ardently 
devoted to him. Her affections were as warmly returned, 
and it is touching to note how, in the midst of overwhelming 
sorrows and humiliations, her love for her husband seemed 
to make her forget them for awhile. 

The greater part of her married life was, without doubt, 
happy, as far as the relations to her husband were concerned. 

It is impossible to read unmoved her accoimt of all she 
endured at the hands of her mother and of her father-in- 
law. Her health was shattered in consequence of incessant 
mental sorrows and anxieties. She died at a comparatively 
early age, and before her brother had achieved the greatness 
she had ever foretold for him. Her end came 15th October, 
1758, in the same night and at the same hour that her 
brother was surprised and defeated by the Austrians at 
Hochkirch. Her last words, her last thoughts were for him. 
She had expressed the wish that his letters to her might be 
laid on her heart and buried with her. 

As to Frederick, the news of her death, coming, as it did, 
at a critical moment, fell upon him with overwhelming force. 
It was a grief that darkened all his life. The sister he had 
so adored — gone ! The one heart whom he had loved ; the 
friend, on whose judgment he had ever relied, taken from 
him when he seemed to have needed her most ! He made a 
touching appeal to Yoltaire to immortalize her memory in 
verse ; and it may not be out of place to quote his own 
words, written to him on the 2nd March, 1759 : — " Pour ce 



YIU IXTRODrCTIOX. 



que je yous ai demande, je yous aYOue que je I'ai toujour 
tres fort dans I'esprit ; soit prose, soit Yers tout m'est egal. 
II faut un monument pour etemiser cette Yertu si pure, si 
rare qui n'a pas ete assez generalement connue. Si j'etais 
persuade de Men ecrire, je n'en chargerais personne, mais 
comme yous etes certainenient le premier de notre sciecle je 
ne puis m'addresser qu'a yous." 

Frederick "him self erected, in his garden of Sansouci, a 
temple dedicated to "Friendship," in memory of Wilhehnine; 
and writes in the following terms to Voltaire about it : — " Ce 
temple est place dans un des bosquets de mon jardin. J'y 
Yais souYent me rappeler mes pertes et le bonheur dont je 
jouissais autrefois." 

The lEargraYine often appears in the course of her 
narratiYe almost heartless and inconsiderate ; yet, taken 
as a whole, she stands out in marked prominence among 
the most gifted women of the 18th centuiy, not only by 
her mental powers, but by her goodness of heart, her self- 
sacrificing devotion, and true fiiendship. 

She lies buried in the chapel of the Castle at Baireuth. 

HELENA. 

CUMEEELA2CD LoDGE, 

May, 18S7. 



It may strike the reader as singular that this volume is not divided 
into chapters. The Translator has in this matter strictly adhered to the 
arrangement of the original. — H. 



ODE BY VOLTAIRE ON THE MARGEAVINE. 



Ombre illustre, ombre cbere, ame heroique et pure, 
Toi que mes tristes jeux ne cessent de pleurer, 
Quand la fatale loi de toute la nature 
Te conduit dans la sepulture, 
Faut-il te plaindre ou t'admirer ? 

Les vertus, les talents ont ete ton partage, 

Tu vecus, tu mourus en sage ; 

Et, voyant a pas lents avancer le trepas, 

Tu montras le meme courage, 

Qui fait voler ton frere au milieu des combats. 

Femme sans prejuges, sans vice et sans mollesse 
Tu bannis loin de toi la superstition, 
Eille de I'imposture et de I'ambition, 
Qui tyrannise la faiblesse. 

Les langueurs, les tourments, ministres de la mort, 
T'avaient declare la guerre ; 
Tu les bravas sans effort, 
Tu plaignis ceux de la terre. 

Helas ! si tes conseils avaient pu I'emporter 
Sur le faux interet d'une aveugle vengeance, 
Que de torrents de sang on eiit vus s'arreter ! 
Quel bonheur, t'aurait du la France. 

Ton cher frere aujourd'hui, dans un noble repos, 
Recueillerait son ame, a soi-meme rendue ; 

Le philosophe, le beros, 
Ne serait afflige que de t'avoir perdue. 

Sur ta cendre adoree, il jetterait des fleurs 
Du haut de son char de victoire ; 
Et les mains de la paix, et les mains de la gloire 
Se joindraient pour secher ses pleurs. 

Sa voix celebrerait ton amitie fidele, 

Les Echos de Berlin repondraient a ses chants ; 

Ah ! j'impose silence a mes tristes accents, 

II n'appartient qu'a lui de te rendre immortelle. 

December, 1758. 



MEMOIRS 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTE 



After the death of my grandmother, Sophie Charlotte of 
Hanover, Queen of Prussia, King Frederick I., my grand- 
father, became extremely desirous that his only son. the 
Crown Prince, should marry. To further this object he 
sent Count Finkenstein (afterwards Field Marshal) to 
Stockholm to negotiate a marriage between the Crown 
Prince and Princess Ulrica of Sweden, sister of Charles XII. 
The Crown Prince, however, who had seen and fallen in love 
with his first cousin, the Princess of Hanover, was able to 
induce Count Finkenstein to give a very unfavourable de- 
scription and report of the Princess of Sweden, and to add, 
too, that her health was so indifferent that it was very un- 
Hkely she would ever have any children. Now as the King's 
greatest wish was to live to see grandchildren born to him, 
he gave up the idea of the marriage with the Princess of 
Sweden, ' and gave his consent to the union of his son 
with the Princess of Hanover, daughter of the Elector 
G-eorge, afterwards King of England. The marriage, 
which took place at the end of the year 1706, gave my 
grandfather an opportunity of showing his love of pomp 
and splendour. I have been told that more brilliant 
fetes had never been witnessed than those given on that 
occasion. It was very gratifying to the Crown Princess 
that the King soon became extremely fond of her, and 



MEMOIRS OF THE 



lost no opportunity of sliOT\T.ng her his affection and 
respect. But this same friendly feeling was also a source of 
sorrow and trouhle to her, as the Crown Prince became 
violently jealous of his father, and treated his wife ^^ith 
great harshness. It was only after the biii:h of the eldest 
son that peace was again established between husband and 
wife. My grandfather gave the new-born infant the title of 
Prince of Orange, not because he thought that title finer 
than that of Prussia or Brandenburg, but because he hoped 
by that means to secure to him the succession to the House 
of Orange, to which he had claims through his mother, the 
Electress Sophie Louise.* 

The joy at the birth of this child was not of long duration, 
for the young Prince died when he was nine months old. 
My grandfather felt his death all the more painfully, as at 
that time the Crown Princess had no hopes of another child ; 
and wishing, as he did, so passionately that the crown should 
pass in a direct line to his immediate heirs, he determined 
to re-marry. His ministers proposed and suggested to him 
various princesses, and he chose fi'om amongst them Sophie 
Louise of Mecklenburg Schwerin. 

This thii^d marriage did not turn out to his satisfaction; 
and I have been told that the husband and wife began to 
quarrel the very next day after their marriage. As this, 
however, all happened before my biiih, I ^ill not waste more 
words about it. I shall have enough to do in remembering- 
all that concerns my life, and shall, therefore, now commence 
with my o^n recollections. 

On the same day that the new Queen made her entry into 
Berlin, the Crown Princess announced that she had certain 
hopes of another child. The joy at this announcement was 
universal. Every one resolved in their minds it would be a 

* The first wife of my great-grandfather, Frederick William, named the 
Oreat Elector. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 3 

prince, and whoever had been heard to predict the birth of a 
daughter would have met with a sorry welcome. The pre- 
diction would, however, have come true, and I was destined 
to throw cold water on their joy. I was born at Berlin on 
the 3rd July, 1709. The Kings of Denmark and Poland, 
who were on a visit to my grandfather at the time, were my 
godfathers, so that three kings and one queen were present 
at my christening, which was celebrated with the greatest 
pomp and ceremony. The strangest part of it all was, that 
the three sovereigns were each called T^rederick, and belonged 
to three different religions. Their presence was the cause of 
endless predictions as to my future. I was to be the 
possessor of as many crowns as there had been kings present 
at my christening ; and a Hessian nobleman even went so far 
in his folly as to compare me to the Child Jesus, whom the 
three wise kings from the East came to adore. This com- 
parison, absurd as it was, found so much favour with my 
grandfather that he made the nobleman a present of a 
thousand ducats. 

None of the beautiful good things foretold me ever came 
to pass. If people had been satisfied with saying that I 
should be content with my lot, then they would have spoken 
the truth, for I really am so, and would not change my 
present position for the crowns of all the world. 

I forgot to say that I received the names of Frederica 
Sophie Wilhelmine. If I had been asked my advice I 
would have chosen the name Charlotte. The Queen, my 
grandmother, was called so ; and I have heard so much good 
of her, and she is still so beloved by all, that I should have 
wished to be like her, even in the very smallest particular. 

Though the birth of a prince had been so much desired, 
my grandfather soon became very fond of me, and occupied 
himself much with my education. When I was eighteen 
months old, I already talked a great deal, and was much 
more forward than children of my age generally were. At 

B 2 



MEMOIRS OF THE 



two years old I ran about everywhere alone, and was full of 
misctiief, to the great delight of my parents ; in fact, I was 
their idol and that of their whole Court. 

In the year 1710 the Crown Princess gave birth to a 
prince, who, however, died a few months afterwards. 
Another son was born in 1712, who received the name of 
Frederick. He was the brother who was educated with me, 
who, for a thousand reasons, became so inexpressibly dear to 
me, and who I have the comfort of knowing was the admira- 
tion of all Europe. Madame von Konnke, wife of the Grrand 
Maitre de la Carderobe, had the chief supervision over oui' 
education. Madame von E-ocoule, who had brought up my 
father, was my brother's governess ; and the Crown Princess 
■ gave me into the charge of a certain Leti. Madame von Kiel- 
mannsegge, afterwards known as Lady Arlington, in whom 
my mother at that time had great confidence, had re- 
commended this person to her. It is necessary to describe 
Leti. She was the daughter of Grregori Leti, a monk. 
He had escaped to Holland, where he is known through 
several works which he wrote there by way of sup- 
porting himself, as he was in the greatest poverty. He 
had not been able to give his daughter any education, so 
that she had not more civility in her composition than is 
generally met with in the Dutch. Her character was com- 
posed of all the faults which are attributed to Italians. She 
was very clever, had acquired a good deal of knowledge, 
and could express herself with great ease ; she was very 
violent, revengeful, and of no high morality. AJl these 
faults she hid, however, under the cloak of apparent piety, 
with which she deceived those who did not know her inti- 
mately. Happily my good disposition was stronger than her 
bad example. 

In January, 1713, Frederick I. (my grandfather) was taken 
seriously ill. His much weakened constitution made the 
doctors soon despair of his life ; but he survived till the 28th 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 



February, on which day he died, full of resignation and 
courage. I remember his sending for my brother and my- 
self the day before he died, and his blessing us. He was 
moiu-ned by his people, and with reason : he was really so 
good and so liberal minded, and deserves no blame beyond 
that of letting his ministers gain too much influence over 
him. The splendour of his funeral I pass over in silence. 
For six months the Court remained on the same footing, 
then all was completely altered. Whoever wished to gain 
the . King's favour had to don the helmet and cuirass, every- 
body was to be officer and soldier, and not a vestige of the 
old Court remained. Major-Greneral G-rumkow was at the 
head of affairs, and shared with the Prince of Anhalt 
the entire confidence of the young King. But that all this 
may be clearly understood, I must describe the King's 
character, as well as that of his two favourites. 

The Crown Prince's education had been entrusted to 
Count Alexander Dona, who had very much neglected it, and 
being himself of a very avaricious nature, had imbued him 
with a great love of money. 

Ever since he was a child the Prince had loved soldiers and 
soldiering. He was a great genius, and capable of great 
things. He had a keen perception : in fact he possessed all 
the attributes of a great man ! Nevertheless, all these fine 
sides of his character were overshadowed by his violent 
temper, which at times burst into perfect paroxysms of fury. 
He was just to the extreme, and his love of fairness and 
justice often prevented his giving way to the gentler and 
kindlier instincts of his nature. When, however, he once 
cared for anyone, he was never known to desert him, and, in 
spite of his avarice, he was most charitable to the poor. This 
is proved by the several charitable institutions founded by 
him. Pie disliked outward show and luxury. His governor 
had found it possible to give him a very bad opinion of the 
fair sex, and he was, in consequence, not only very jealous 



6 MEMOIRS OF THE 



of the Uueen, but extremely harsli and severe in Ms treat- 
ment of his daughters. 

The Prince of Anhalt ranked very high as a military 
commander, and combined with a perfect knowledge of all 
military matters a wonderful head for all business. His 
rough and uncouth nature made him an object of fear, a 
feehng which his personal appearance fully justified. His 
overweening ambition rendered him capable of any crime in 
order to attain the end he had in view. An implacable 
enemy, he was, at the same time, a most faithful friend, 
and his enmity was never shown excepting to those who had 
offended him — indeed, he is known on several occasions to 
have shown both kindness and generosity to the relations of 
the very people with whom he had the bitterest feuds. 

Griumkow, who afterwards became Field-Marshal, may 
well pass for one of the cleverest ministers that had been 
seen for some time. With great pliancy of mind he com- 
bined a great charm in conversation, a readiness and 
cleverness in repartee, which made him delightful in society. 
This pleasing exterior, however, hid a false, selfish, and 
perfidious heart. His behaviour proved all this, and he was, 
besides, extravagant, irritable, and peevish. 

Two characters, such as these I have just described, were 
indeed capable of ruining a young sovereign, as well as his 
country. Both were fast friends ; their long- cherished plan 
had been to rule the King entirely, and to have a Queen that 
should be quite subservient .to them. As the Crown Prince's 
marriage with the Hanoverian Princess, however, entirely 
upset theii' plans, nothing remained for them but to try and 
sow disunion between the husband and wife, in order to 
prevent the Crown Prince from reposing any trust in his 
consort. To attain this end they encouraged all his worst 
passions, entangled him in all their evil ways, and roused his 
jealousy against the Crown Princess. They continued this 
shameful behaviour even after the Crown Prince came to the 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 



throne, and caused the Queen endless worry and annoyance. 
It required, as mil be seen from these memoirs, all the 
strength of her character to withstand the attacks made upon 
her. But I will now turn to pleasanter subjects. 

Queen Anne, of England, died a year after Frederick I., 
and my grandfather on my mother's side, the Elector G-eorge, 
ascended the throne of England. He hastened to his new 
kingdom, where he was crowned; his eldest son took the 
title of Prince of Wales, and his son again, Prince Frederick, 
that of Duke of Gloucester. In this same year, too, the 
Queen gave me a sister, who was named Frederica Louise ; 
but I will quickly pass over this event, as I have determined 
to write only the story of my own life ; and, therefore, to men- 
tion those facts alone which have to do with myself. 

My brother, who, in consequence of my father's ascending 
the throne, had become Crown Prince, was in very delicate 
health ; and this, combined with the sullen and melancholy 
state of his mind, made people fear for his life. The 
Prince of Anhalt and Grumkow were perhaps the only persons 
that desired his death, as through it they hoped that the 
Margrave of Schwedt, one of the first Princes of the Blood, 
and through his mother nephew to the Prince of Anhalt, 
might succeed to the throne.* 

They wished me to marry this Prince, that the Allodial 
Estates, which had come through the female line, should not 



* The Elector Frederick William (my great grandfather) had two wives ; 
his first wife, Princess of Orange, bore him two sons, Frederick I. and Prince 
Louis, who married a Princess Eadziwil, and had no children. The second 
wife of Frederick William was Sophie Dorothea, Princess of Holstein 
Gliicksburg, widow of Duke Christian Louis of Liimburg. She bore him 
four princes and two princesses : one of the sons, Charles, died in Italy ; 
and of the three others — Philip, Albert, and Louis — the eldest married a 
Princess of Anhalt. He left at his death two daughters and a son ; the 
Margrave Frederick, the eldest of these two sons, was, therefore, the first 
Prince of the Blood, and. in consequence, if the King died without male 
heirs, the probable heir to the Crown of Prussia and to the Electorate. 



8 MEMOIKS or THE 



pass out of the family. They urged the desirability of this 
marriage on the King, representing to him the advantages it 
would have, not only in retaining the Allodial Estates, but 
in securing the Margrave's alliance to Prussia for all time. 

At first M. von Grrumkow mentioned the idea only 
casually, but after a while the plan took a more decided 
shape, and at last was presented in so favourable a light to 
the King that he promised the Prince of Anhalt to do all in 
his power to further his nephew's suit, and actually authorized 
the Margrave to pay me regular court. 

This Prince was bom in 1700, and was, therefore, nine 
years older than I was. I was not of an age at that time 
either to love or to hate, and whether it was an innate dislike 
or merely a piece of childish obstinacy on my part, I could 
not bear him. Leti,* whom the Prince of Anhalt and 
Grrumkow had won over to their side, was never weary of 
singing my suitor's praises to me, and when it happened that 
I treated him roughly, or played some practical joke on him, 
there was no end to the scolding afterwards. It was some 
time before the Queen, my mother, had the faintest idea of 
this plan, for she had never for one moment imagined that 
the visits the Margrave paid me were anything else than 
those of the merest civility. At last the King told her, and 
spoke of my marriage with the Margrave as a settled thing. 
The news fell like a thunderbolt on the Queen, and she at 
once determined that I should marry her o^tl nephew, the 
Duke of Gloucester, for she perceived but too clearly that the 
little influence she still had over the King was to be under- 
mined. The King's health was very indifferent, and 
severe nervous attacks often endangered his hfe. The 
Queen had up to this time lived in hopes that, should he die, 
she would have the sole guardianship of my brother, and be 
Pegent. Now, however, through this marriage with the 

* My governess. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 9 

Margrave, site saw all her fondest hopes destroyed, and the 
power of her enemies increased. 

Knowing, as she did, that the Prince of Anhalt and 
Grrumkow would not hesitate at committing any crime to 
further their ambitious ends, she had every reason to tremble 
for my brother. Even had the Queen not been so opposed 
to this marriage, she had little reason to anticipate any 
happiness for me in it, for the Margrave of Schwedt was a 
worthy nephew of the Prince of Anhalt. His low pro- 
pensities, his love for all that was evil, and his cruelty and 
brutality, already singled him out for a second Nero. 

The marriage with the Duke of G-loncester was c^nite 
another thing. The alliance with England would be a great 
support to my mother, and promised me a much happier 
future. The Queen, therefore, violently opposed my 
marriage with the Margrave of Schwedt ; but neither her 
tears nor her entreaties, nor all the reasons she put forward 
against it, had the slightest effect in shaking the King's 
determination ; and the only hope left her was that, on 
account of my extreme youth, the marriage might be in- 
definitely postponed. 

For some time to come, affairs of a far graver nature now 
took up the King's attention. In 1715 he made war against 
King Charles XII. of Sweden ; and though the Queen was 
expecting her confinement,, she followed her husband to 
Pomerania, where he was with his army. After the Saxon 
troops and the King of Denmark had joined my father, the 
two sovereigns laid siege to Stralsund, where King Charles 
had shut himself up. The result of this campaign, which 
lies beyond the province of my memory, is well known to all 
the world, and reflected honour both on my father and his 
allies. 

During the Queen's absence I was entrusted to the care of 
Leti, and my brother to that of Madame von Eocoule. Leti 
gave herself a great deal of trouble in teaching me. She 



10 MEMOIES OF THE 



taught me the first mdiments of History and Greography. 
I read fluently, and also wrote tolerably for my age. As 
I saw many people whilst the Queen was absent, I learnt to 
behave myself with discretion and good manners ; so that on 
her return the Queen was quite delighted with my little 
person. My joy at seeing her again, and the fondling and 
tenderness I received from her, gave me such emotions that I 
broke a blood-vessel in eonsec|uence, and the hemorrhage 
not only was stopped with difficulty, but returned next day 
with such violence that the doctor despaired of my life. My 
life was, however, saved ; but the great weakness this attack 
left obliged me to keep my bed for many weeks. As soon as 
I was well again, the Queen took advantage of the great 
ease with which I learned to give me different masters, 
amongst them the famous La Crape, celebrated for his 
knowledge of the oriental and dead languages. These 
masters took it in turn to teach me, so that my whole day 
was occupied, and I had but little time for relaxation. 

At the Court of Berlin only officers were seen, but it was 
nevertheless very numerously attended by persons from all 
quarters. During the King's absence the Queen held 
receptions every evening. My father was mostly at 
Potsdam, which was close by, where he lived like a simple 
nobleman. His chief occupation was the formation of a 
Eegiment, which he had abeady begun during the lifetime 
of Frederick I. Of an afternoon he went out shooting, and 
in the evening smoked with his officers and favouiites. This 
assembly was called the " Tabagie," * and even when he was 
at BerHn there was not much alteration in the arrangements 
of his day. 

There were at this time in Berlin many Swedish officers 
who had been taken prisoners at the siege of Stralsund. 
Among these was one named Croom, well kno\\Ti throughout 

* A smoking club. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 



11 



the town as an astrologer. Most people are superstitious, and 
like to believe in such follies ; and though I do not belong to 
the number, I cannot resist mentioning a curious fact, which 
I, however, consider as mere coincidence. The Queen was 
curious to know Croom, and sent for him. She gave him 
her hand, that he might tell her her fortune, and he foretold 
the birth of a princess, which event also really took place in 
March 1716, two months after the interview. To the Prince, 
my brother, he predicted a very troublous youth, but added 
that in later years he would become Emperor and be one of 
the greatest of Europe's princes. The lines in my hand did 
not promise so much happiness and prosperity as did those in 
my brother's. At first the astrologer exclaimed that he had 
never seen such an " unlucky hand," and that my whole life 
would be a network of troubles, and that any prosperity would 
always be cut short by fresh storms ; that I shou.ld have three 
great offers of marriage, but that he doubted if any of 
these would be found acceptable. He meant by these 
Erance, England, and Poland. The contents of these pages 
will show that this man was not altogether wrong in his 
predictions. 

One of the Queen's Ladies named Wagniss was also very 
anxious to know her fortune. Croom told her that she would 
be sent away from Court before the year was out; and on 
Madame von Blaspiel asking him what would happen to her, 
he answered her that her fate would be very like that of 
Mademoiselle von Wagniss, and that her departure from the 
Court would be as unpleasant as that of the first named lady. 
All this soon afterwards came true. 

The mother, Madame von Wagniss, was Mistress of the 
Eobes to the King's aunt, the Margravine Albert. She was 
one of the greatest intriguantes at Court ; and although she 
was already advanced in years, she had still many lovers. She 
had three daughters, who were all beautiful as angels. She 
favoured those who had most to offer, and who could be most 



12 MEMOIRS OF THE 



useful in obtaining for her knowledge of Cabinet secrets, 
wMch knowledge she afterwards sold to the Foreign Ministers 
at the Court. This scandalous behaviour she souorht to hide 
under a cloak of extreme piety, so that she was considered to 
be virtue itself. Her gracious manner faseina.ted all, and 
gained her many friends among those who could not know 
her real character. Her main object was to obtain for one of 
her daughters an appointment at Court in the hopes of her 
becoming the King's mistress ; and for this purpose she chose 
the most beautiful of her three girls. The Queen appointed 
her Lady-in-waiting. Having succeeded in this first step, 
mother and daughter now sought by every means in their 
power to attain the object they had in view. In the first 
place, they sought to obtain the Queen's favour, and then the 
friendship of all those who more immediately surrounded 
the King. 

[The Margravine of Baireuth here gives a most detailed 
account of a very scandalous intrigue got up by Madame 
von Wagniss, between her daughter and a worthless young 
Court functionary, in the hopes of finally entangling the 
King in it. Happily, G-rumkow and the Prince of Anhalt 
became aware of it, and told the King. He thereupon 
desired the Queen instantly to dismiss Mademoiselle von 
Wagniss. The Queen, who did not know how far matters 
had gone, and really liked the lady, felt grieved at parting 
with her. After her dismissal she and her mother published 
anonymously the most scandalous satire on the King and 
Queen. We will now return to the Margravine's own 
recollections.] 

Three months after this unpleasant business the Queen 
was confined with a prince, whose birth caused great joy 
throughout the whole country. He was named William, 
but died in the year 1719. 

Towards the end of this year (1715) Count Poniatowsky 
came incognito to Berlin. He was sent there by King 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 13 

Charles XII. of Sweden. As lie knew the Chamberlain, 
von Prinlz, having been Envoy at the Eussian Court 
with him, Count Poniatowsky begged his kind offices 
in obtaining him a private interview with the King. My 
father went one evening, when it was getting dark, to the 
apartments of M. de Printz, who lived in the Castle, 
and saw Count Poniatowsky there. Yery advantageous 
propositions were made to the King by Sweden, of which, 
however, I remember only two. Sweden offered to sur- 
render Swedish Pomerania in perpetuity to the King my 
father, and in return he was to promise me in marriage to 
the Swedish King, for which ultimate purpose I was to be 
taken over to Sweden when I reached the age of twelve. 
The death of King Charles at Friedrichshall in 1719 pre- 
vented this marriage. 

All that I have here been telling does not directly concern 
me. My extreme youth — I was only eight years old — 
prevented my taking part in these events. The whole day 
I was occupied with my masters, and in my play time I 
was allowed to see my brother. There never was such love 
as ours for one another ! My brother had great intelligence, 
but was not at all lively ; he was very quick of perception, 
but he had the greatest difficulty in remembering what he 
had learned. I, on the contrary, was extremely quick, and 
had a wonderful memory. The King could not bear my 
brother : he never saw him without ill-treating him, and this 
caused my brother a fear of his father and a shyness in his pres- 
ence which he never got over. I was my father's favourite. 
He showed more love and tenderness to me than to any of his 
other children. I often used my advantage in begging and 
obtaining favours, and I have saved the life of many 
a poor creature, for the King never refused me any request. 

Meanwhile the Prince of Anhalt and Grumkow continued 
their intrigues. The birth of my second brother had not 
changed their plans, it had only altered the mode of carrying 



14 MEMOIRS or THE 



them out. A second jotimey of the King and Queen to 
Hanover in 1717 gave rise to talk about a double marriage 
betrveen my brother, the Crown Prince, and Princess Ameha 
of England, and of the Duke of Grloneester and mrself . At the 
same time I received several letters and presents from the 
latter, and our correspondence lasted for more than a year. 
The Prince of Anhalt and Gxumkow did not dare to press 
forward their plan again for my marriage with the Margrave 
of Schwedt. They knew the King too well to openly oppose 
his wishes. To attain their object they must continue to 
endeavour to put an end to the friendly relations which 
subsisted between bim and England, and of this they did 
not despair. It was in this year that the wicked plots of 
a certain Clement were discovered. He was accused of 
high treason, of having forged the handwriting and seals 
of several great potentates, and of having caused disunion 
between several of the great Powers. Clement was of high 
birth ; some said he was the son of the Duke of Orleans, 
Eegent of Erance ; others, of the King of Denmark. His 
great resemblance to the Duke of Orleans always made 
people maintain that he was descended from him.* 

I am not acquainted with the more intimate details 
relating to this adventurer, as everything was kept so secret 
that no one has ever known the real truth ; but what I do 
know, positively, is that Clement disclosed all G-rumkow's 
secret speculations to the King, and would have caused his 
downfall, but that the proofs were wanting. He had not 
one of the letters he promised to send the King ; and, though 
he insisted on havmg had private interviews with him, it 
turned out when he was confronted with Gxumkow, that he 
did not even know him. Xothing more was wanted to prove 



* He came from Transylvania, and was called Rosenau. He was secre- 
tary to Prince Ragotzky, whom he betrayed and deserted. He then took 
the name of Clement in order to continue his forgeries undiscovered. 



MAllGUAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 15 

that his accusations were false. His trial lasted nearly six 
months. So much to heart did the King take the whole of 
this affair that he was, in consequence, seized at Brandenhurg 
with serious illness. Messengers were forthwith despatched 
for the Queen, who at once started for Brandenhurg, and on 
her arrival, that same night, found the King so ill that the 
doctors gave up all hope. My father made his last will, and 
those to whom he dictated his last wishes were well known 
for- their honesty and devotion. In this last will the King 
named the Queen Eegent of Prussia, &c. ; and the King of 
England, as well as the Emperor, guardians of the young 
Prince. A few hours hefore the messenger left, whom my 
father sent for my mother, two others had started to fetch 
the Prince of Anhalt and Grrumkow. I do not know what 
reason can have delayed them, but they did not start till late 
at night. 

The King's illness made such rapid progress that the 
doctors gave my father only a few hours more to live. The 
fear that if the Prince of Anhalt and Grrumkow' s arrival 
were long delayed he would no longer he able to seal his 
will, induced him to sign it. Knowing, however, beforehand 
what reproaches and what opposition the will would meet 
with from those two, as they were not even mentioned in it, 
he extracted a promise from the Queen, whilst giving her a 
copy of it, to keep the contents a complete secret. Those, 
too, who had been witnesses, and those who had written out 
the will, were made to take an oath to the same effect. The 
business was scarcely over, and allTsigned and sealed, when 
the Prince and Grrumkow arrived. 

As they had their creatures everywhere about the King, 
they soon learned what had taken place respecting the will, 
but they never could succeed in finding out what the contents 
of it were. Nevertheless, the very secrecy that was observed 
soon led them to perceive that they were not to be the 
guardians of the young Prince ; and, furthermore, that as 



16 MEMOIRS OF THE 



the Queen had received a copy of the document, she must 
have been named Regent. Their despair knew no bounds. 
The time was too short : the King was at the point of death, 
and the Queen never left his side for one moment, so that 
it was cj^uite impossible to get the will altered. Happily for 
them, the great danger in which the King was, passed over 
after several hours, and thev breathed again. The fever and 
the pain decreased. The ipecacuanha, which had been given 
to the King bv the Surgeon Major-G-eneral of the Eong's 
Eegiment, had saved his life. This surgeon was named 
Holzendorf ; and he will again appear in these memoirs. 
He was so successful jn his use of this remedy, that for 
many years afterwards he enjoyed the Kin g's especial favour. 

After my father had completely recovered, he returned to 
Berlin with my mother. The trial of that wretched Clement 
was still going on. He accused innumerable persons in 
order to entangle them in his trial, and by that means pro- 
long it. This caused the Kin g to open all letters that were 
sent by post. He became daily more suspicious, and never 
went to bed without having at his side two loaded pistols and 
his sword. He remained only a few days in Berlin, and 
went with my mother to Wusterhausen. 

The Prince of Anhalt and Grrumkow meanwhile were not 
idle. They could not. get this business of the will out of 
their minds, and Grrumkow, who was slyer than the devil 
himself, undertook to get the copy of the will out of the 
Queen's possession. To carry out this plan he used the 
following means. I have already mentioned Madame von 
Blaspiel. This lady was most beautiful in person ; her dis- 
position was very bright. She had a highly educated mind 
and a noble honest heart, but imf ortunately two great faults, 
which are common to mankind in general, overshadowed her 
nobler equalities. She was intnguante and a coquette. A 
gouty old husband of sixty years was not calculated to make 
a young and beautiful wife very happy. Indeed, some people 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 17 

pretended that she led the same life with him as Placidia did 
with the Emperor Constantine. At this time the Saxon 
Envoy, Count Manteuffel, was her ami intlme, but this 
friendship was conducted in such a manner that no one had 
ever thought of throwing the slightest doubt on their relation- 
ship to one another. As I said before, every letter that 
came by post was taken to the King, and all his days at 
Wusterhausen were spent in reading them through. Man- 
teuffel was making a short tour in Saxony, and the King 
thus came across his letters to Madame von Blaspiel, and also 
her answers. Their contents left no doubt that more than 
friendship existed between them. The King made cruel 
jokes on the subject, which soon reached Grrumkow's ears, 
and he determined to use this occurrence as a means towards 
attaining his object. 

I am but little acquainted with the political affairs at this 
time, so that I can say nothing positive about them. I 
remember only that the King of Poland required my father's 
help. Grrumkow, who had known this sovereign for a long 
time, wrote to him and promised that his hopes and wishes 
should be realized, if he would in return combine with him. 
The King of Poland consented, and Manteuffel returned to 
Berlin commissioned to obtain from Madame von Blaspiel, 
through his influence with her, a promise that she would 
manage to get the will out of the Queen's hands. It was a 
ticklish business. Madame von Blaspiel adored her mistress, 
but love is a tyrant — woe to those who allow their passions 
to gain control over their principles. Terrible hours of bitter 
remorse are in store for them. What can a woman refuse to 
a man to whom she has sacrificed the most precious of all 
things, her honour ? Had Madame von Blaspiel made such 
reflections, she would have escaped from the quicksands that 
enguli so many. Manteuffel's protestations of faithfulness 
and devotion to the Queen at last conquered his mistress's 
constancy. Still, however great her influence over my mother, 



18 MEMOIRS OF THE 



it required many endeavours and many requests from 
Madame von Blaspiel to succeed in getting this unfortimate 
will into her own hands. 

Whilst all this was going on, Clement's trial had come to 
an end. He was found guilty, and condemned to be torn in 
pieces, and then hanged. 

The wretched man heard his sentence pronounced without 
moving a muscle. He answered his accusers by saying, " I 
have only done that which the King's ministers are daily 
doing. They try to deceive the ministers of other Powers, 
and are honoured spies at foreign Courts. If I had been a 
public character, such as they are, I might now have reached 
the height of prosperity, instead of ending on the gallows." 
He died with the greatest courage. On his way to the place 
of execution he addressed the people. As his speech is 
printed, I will not here make further mention of it. His 
accomplice, Leman, was quartered ; and Heidekamm, whose 
family had recently been ennobled, was flogged, his sword 
and his shield, with his arms on it, broken in pieces by the 
hangman, and he himself declared dishonoured. Heidekamm 
was punished so severely only because he had said and 
written that the King was not Frederick I.'s legitimate son, 
but the bastard of a nobleman who had lived at Court. 

With these sad events the year 1717 closed. The follow- 
ing year was, however, not less fertile in tragic occmTences. 
I have abeady mentioned that the Prince of Anhalt and 
Grumkow's great object was to disturb the happy relations 
between the King and Uueen. Their old project, my 
marriage with the Margrave of Schwedt, was not given up, 
and they again endeavoured to win the King's consent to it. 
As my father, however, was on very good terms with 
England, he was not now favourably inclined to this plan. 

In my sketch of the King's character I mentioned his 
great love of money as one of his chief faults. He dis- 
approved of every expense incuiTed by the Queen, even when 



MAKGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 19' 

absolutely necessary for her high position and rank. He, 
nevertheless, gave her most costly presents. Thus, for 
instance, my mother had long wished to possess a pair of very 
beautiful diamond ear-rings, which had belonged to the 
Queen Dowager, and which had been left, with the rest of 
the jewels, to my father. The King gave these ear-rings to my 
mother at the time of the birth of my second brother. Their 
value was very great, the diamonds being worth 26,000 
thalers (£3,900). In tlie hope of creating a bad feeling 
between my parents Grrumkow resolved to persuade the 
King that the Queen had begged him for these ear-rings only 
to sell them, that she might pay her debts with the money. 
M. von Kamke, who had stood in great favour with 
Frederick I., himself heard Grumkow make this vile sug- 
gestion ; and having but little doubt as to Grrumkow's object, 
at once informed the Queen, begging her, however, not to 
mention his having told her. The King was absent from 
home at the time, but as soon as he returned the Queen told 
him what a trick Grrumkow intended playing her. In order 
to prevent even a semblance of suspicion, she showed the 
King the ear-rings, and demanded an apology from Grrumkow. 
The King, however, insisted on knowing how she had heard 
of this plot, and said he should believe the whole story if he 
knew that her informant was to be trusted. 

The Queen finding herself, so to speak, pushed into a corner, 
was imprudent enough to mention Kamke. The King 
instantly sent for him. He repeated what he had told the 
Queen, and furthermore accused Grumkow of various other 
grave misdeeds. The kind manner in which the King 
received Kamke had encouraged him to speak out ; but not 
having expected to be summoned before the King in the 
capacity of an accuser he had not sufficient proofs at hand to 
justify himself, and furthermore, as he knew most of the 
facts out of Grumkow's own mouth, had no witnesses to 
support him. The result was that Grumkow's denials were 

c 2 



20 MEMOIRS OF THE 



believed, and that Kamke was sent to the fortress of 
Spandau. 

This fortress, which v/as four miles* from Berlin, was soon 
filled with people of good family. 

Grrumkow and the Prince of Anhalt were not satisfied 
with having learnt the contents of the King's will from 
Count Manteujffel, they insisted on its being given into their 
own hands. All Count Manteuffel's endeavours to "^Test it 
from Madame von Blaspiel remained fruitless, and finding that 
neither threats nor coaxing were of any avail, they not only 
determined to ruin her, but conceived the most monstrous 
plot ever heard of for centuries. 

The King used often to amuse himself in the evening by 
attending the performances of a tight-rope dancer, which 
were held at the Town Hall, and I remember quite well how 
some of Grrumkow' s creatures, and this minister himself, 
begged the King to take the young Prince with him to one 
of these. They insisted so much on this point that the King 
at last consented. The tight-rope dancer being, however, 
taken ill, the representation was put off till the following 
Friday. 

On the Tuesday morning, Madame von Blaspiel came to the 
Uueen, and implored her to prevent the King and my 
brother from going to this performance. Why, she would 
not say, beyond mentioning that it was as much as their 
lives were worth. She begged the Queen to find any pretext 
on the Eriday for diverting the King's attention, that he 
might forget the hour fixed for going to the Town Hall, and 
if that did not succeed, openly to oppose his going. I was 
told to amuse the King. On the Friday my mother 
instructed my brother and myself in the part we were to 
play. I had managed so well to divert my father that it was 
past half-past six before he was aware of it, and got up to 

* About sixteen English miles. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 



21 



leave for the performance. My mother in vain told him that 
it was too late. The King had hold of my brother's hand ; 
and the boy, having been told all manner of stories, which 
had frightened him out of his wits, screamed, and made 
frantic efforts to get away from his father ; and as the King 
persisted in opening the door, my mother and I threw our- 
selves at his feet, and prevented his leaving the room. He 
could not in the least understand what was the matter, and 
was at first inclined to be very angry. Our tears and 
screams, and the pains we took to prevent his leaving us, 
occupied so much time, that the hour fixed for his visit to the 
Town Hall was long past, and he gave up going. The 
Queen would never afterwards explain to him the reason of 
her strange conduct ; but just at this time an enquiry was 
being carried on which led him to guess part of the truth. 
A certain Trosqui, a man of good birth, and a native of 
Silesia, had just been arrested. He had been used as a spy 
during the siege of Stralsund ; and though he had on that 
occasion made himself most useful to the King, was never 
liked or trusted. The suspicion of a secret correspondence 
had caused his present arrest. His papers, which had been 
seized, proved the sm-mise to be true. The whole town took 
a great intere,st in his fate. His private papers contained 
love stories of all Berlin, and several letters concerning the 
King. The King fancied that the Queen's anxiety had been 
caused by the fear that the numbers of the persons mixed up 
in this afi'air might combine together to attempt some daring 
step against him. This impression was justified in so far 
that he had been able to read through but very few of the 
papers. But after two days the situation changed. Madame 
von Blaspiel begged for a secret audience with the King ; but 
before she had spoken to him she confessed all to the Queen, 
and told her what she had discovered of Grrumkow's abomi- 
nable plot. The following was what had been decided on. 
Having given up all hope of getting the King's will out of 



22 MEMOIKS OF THE 



Madame von Blaspiel's possession, and being convinced that 
on the King's death they would lose all their fortune, they 
determined at all hazards to secure the throne for the Mar- 
grave of Schwedt, and to assume the Eegency themselves. 
They had determined, therefore, to get rid of the King and my 
brother, and have them murdered at the Town Hall ; to set 
fire to the castle ; to have my second brother strangled ; to 
exile the Queen to some distant town, where she should be 
kept a prisoner ; to send at once for the Margrave of 
Schwedt, and immediately on his arrival to marry me to 
him. 

This plot was to be carried out in such a manner that no 
suspicion could fall on its instigators. An apparently acci- 
dental riot in the Town Hall at the moment the Castle was 
set fire to was to prevent their detection. 

I heard all these particulars from my mother herself. She 
was not present at the interview between the King and 
Madame von Blaspiel, and did not know what passed at it, as 
she was never again able to speak to the lady alone. The 
whole thing was kept a profound secret, and even to this day 
no particulars have transpired ; but I know that after a 
second interview the King had with Madame von Blaspiel he 
led her to the Uueen, saying, " I bring you here a brave and 
noble woman, the best friend I have in the world." 

Two days afterwards the parties concerned were confronted 
with one another. Grrumkow had found means to entrust the 
enquiry to the Fiscal General Kateck, a man of low bii^th, 
and one of his own creatures. This man had a particular 
gift of entangling and confusing those who fell into his hands. 
Madame von Blaspiel was the victim of his cleverness. 
Various cunning questions, and the' skilful manner in which he 
twisted her answers, reduced her to hopeless confusion, and 
she had been imprudent enough to get no witnesses to 
support her accusations. The opposite side were certainly in 
a precarious plight, but their confidence and security became 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 23 

as great as ever, and Madame von Blaspiel became the victim 
of her devotion and constancy. 

Kateck proposed she should be put on the rack, in 
order to force her to confess the absolute falsity of her 
accusations. I do not know what prevented the King from 
having this proposal carried out, but after the trial was over 
Madame von Blaspiel was taken to Spandau. Without the 
slightest consideration for the Uueen, who was then expect- 
ing her confinement, the King, in a perfect fury, com- 
municated to her the unfortunate lady's fate. I was present 
on that painful occasion. The King was so violent in his 
attack on the Queen that there was every reason to fear a 
premature confinement. Besides the great friendship which 
the Queen had for Madame von Blaspiel she was in terrors 
about the will, which was still among that lady's possessions, 
and which would naturally be found among them. The 
Queen soon learned that Field-Marshal von Nassmer had 
received orders to seal up all Madame von Blaspiel's papers, 
etc. On hearing this the Queen at once sent her private 
chaplain, Boshardt, to the Field-Marshal to tell him of the 
sore strait she was in, and to beg him to restore her the will. 
This general, who was a man of the strictest honesty, as well 
as a most devoted servant of the Royal Family, deemed it no 
act of unfaithfulness to his master and King to grant the 
Queen's prayer. He, therefore, had the luckless document, 
the cause of so much trouble and sorrow, restored to her. 
Madame von Blaspiel remained at Spandau only a year, and 
was then exiled to Cleves, where she still lives. 

The King at last determined to put an end to all these 
intrigues and plots. It may be that the many accusations 
made against Grumkow and the Prince of Anhalt had made 
an impression on him, or it may be that political reasons 
induced him to take the step, i^t any rate he determined to 
recall the Margrave of Schwedt, who was then travelling, 
and to marry him to the Duchess of Courland, afterwards 



24 MEMOIRS OF THE 



Empress of Eussia. The Margrave arrived at Berlin before 
the end of tliis year, but in spite of the great advantages 
"which this marriage offered him, he refused most peremptorily 
to acquiesce in the King's wishes. He evidently still had 
hopes of my marrying him, which he considered far more 
advantageous ; and as he was eighteen years old and of age, 
the King could not force him to marry against his will. 

I have, in the preceding year, forgotten to mention the 
arrival in Berlin of Peter the Grreat, Emperor of Eussia. 
This episode is curious enough to be worthy of a place in 
my memoirs. This sovereign, who was very fond of travel- 
ling, was on his way from Holland, and was obliged, oTving 
to the Empress's premature confinement, to make a stay in 
the province of Cleves, As he disliked both society and 
formalities, he begged the King to let him occupy a villa on 
the outskirts of Berlin which belonged to the Queen. This 
villa was a pretty little building, and had been beautif Lilly 
arranged by the Queen. It contained a gallery decorated 
with china ; all the rooms had most beautiful looking-glasses. 
The house was really a little gem, and fully deserved its 
name, " Monbijou." The garden was lovely, and its beauty 
was enhanced by its being close to the river. 

To prevent any damage — as these Kussian gentlemen are 
noted for not being particular or over careful — the Queen 
had the whole house cleared out, and removed everything 
that might get broken. A few days afterwards the Emperor 
and Empress and their suite arrived by water at !l[on- 
bijou. 

The 'King and Queen received them on the banks of the 
river. The King gave the Czarina his hand to help her to 
land. As soon as the Emperor had landed, he shook hands 
with the King and said, "Brother Frederick, I am very 
pleased to see you." He then approached the Queen, TN-ish- 
ing to embrace her, which she, however, deoKned. The 
Czarina then kissed my mother's hand repeatedly, afterwards 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 25 

presenting to her the Duke and Duchess of Mecklenburg, who 
accompanied them, and four hundred so-called ladies. These 
were, for the most part, Grerman maids, ladies' maids and 
cooks, who fulfilled the duties of ladies in waiting. The 
Queen did not feel inclined to bow to these, and, indeed, she 
treated the Czarina and the Princesses of the Blood mth 
great coldness and haughtiness, and the King had a great 
deal of trouble in persuading her to be civil to them. I saw 
this curious Court the next day, when the Czar and Czarina 
came to visit the Queen. She received them in the State- 
rooms of the castle, met them at the entrance of these rooms, 
and led the Empress to her Audience Chamber. 

The King and the Emperor followed behind. As soon as 
the Emperor saw me, he recognized me — having seen me five 
years ago — took me up in his arms and kissed me all over 
my face. I boxed his ears, and made frantic eiforts to get 
away from him, sajdng he had insulted me. This delighted 
him, and made him laugh heartily. They had told me 
beforehand what I was to say to him, so I spoke to him of 
his fleet and his victories. He was so pleased that he said 
he would willingly sacrifice one of his provinces to have such 
a child as I was. The Czarina too made much of me. The 
Queen and the Czarina sat on armchairs under a canopy, and 
I stood near my mother, the Princesses of the Blood standing 
opposite. 

The Czarina was small, broad, and brown-looking, without 
the slightest dignity or appearance. You had only to look 
at her to detect her low origin. She might have passed for 
a Grerman actress, she had decked herself out in such a 
manner. Her dress had been bought second-hand, and was 
trimmed with some dirty looking silver embroidery; the 
bodice was covered with precious stones, arranged in such a 
manner as to represent the double eagle. She ^vore a dozen 
orders ; and round the bottom of her dress hung quantities of 
relics and pictures of saints, which rattled when she walked, 



26 MEMOIRS OF THE 



and reminded one of a smartly liamessed mule. The orders 
too made a great noise, knocking against each other. 

The Czar, on the other hand, was tall and well grown, 
with a handsome face, but his expression was coarse, and 
impressed one with fear. He wore a simple sailor's dress. 
His wife, who spoke Grerman very badly, called her court 
jester to her aid, and spoke Eussian with her. This poor 
creature was a Princess G-allizin, who had been obliged to 
undertake this sorry office to save her life, as she had been 
mixed up in a conspiracy against the Czar, and had twice 
been flogged with the knout ! 

At last we sat down to dinner, the Czar sitting near the 
Queen. It is well kno^sTi that this sovereign had, when a 
young man, been poisoned, and that his nerves had never 
recovered from it, so that he was constantly seized with 
convulsions, over which he had no control. He was suddenly 
seized with one of these attacks whilst he was dining, and 
frightened the Queen so much that she several times tried to 
get up and leave the table. After a while, the Czar grew 
calmer, and begged the Queen to have no fear, as he would 
not hurt her. Then, taking her hand in his, he pressed it 
so tightly that she screamed for mercy, at which he laughed, 
saying that she had much more dehcate bones than his 
Catherine. A ball had been aiTanged after dinner, but he 
stole quietly away, and returned on foot to Monbijou. 

The following day he visited all the sights of Berlin, 
amongst others the very curious collection of coins and 
antiques. Among these last named was a statue, repre- 
senting a heathen god. It was amthing but attractive, 
but was the most valuable in the collection. The Czar 
admired it very much, and insisted on the Czarina kissing it. 
On her refusing, he said to her in bad Grerman that she 
should lose her head if she did not at once obey him. 
Being tenified at the Czar's anger she immediately complied 
with his orders -^^ithout the least hesitation. The Czar asked 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 27 

the King to give him this and other statues, a request which 
he could not refuse. The same thing happened about a cup- 
board, inlaid with amber. It was the only one of its kind, 
and had cost King Frederick I. an enormous sum, and the 
consternation was general on its having to be sent to Peters- 
burg. 

This barbarous Court happily left after two days. The 
Queen rushed at once to Monbijou, which she found in a 
state resembhng that of the fall of Jerusalem, I never saw 
such a sight. Everything was destroyed, so that the Queen 
was obliged to rebuild the whole house. 

About this time my brother was entrusted to the care of 
two governors. My mother appointed one of them, Field- 
Marshal Count von Finkenstein ; the Prince of Anhalt the 
other, Kalstein, major of an infantry regiment. Count 
Finkenstein was a most excellent man, but not clever enough 
to have control over such a genius as my brother. He was 
married to Madame von Blaspiel's sister, and since that lady's 
exile, the Queen had shown the Count and his wife the 
greatest confidence. Kalstein was a good officer, but coarse 
and violent. He was more fitted for intrigues than to be 
the governor of a young prince. He was well educated, but 
made little use of what he knew, yet on the whole he was 
trustworthy. The year 1718, fruitful as it was in tragic 
events, at last came to an end, and I will now pass on to 
1719. 

The greater part of the winter was spent by the King 
at Berlin, and he went out a good deal into society of an 
evening. The Queen spent her whole day with my brother, 
and had no other companions than him and myself. Nobody 
else dined with her of an evening beyond Madame von 
Konnken, her Mistress of the Eobes, and Madame von 
Eocoule. Though the former was a most upright and 
amiable lady, the Queen did not trust her, and seemed to be 
quite oppressed by sadness. 



28 MEMOIRS OF THE 



One day when I was with her, she said to me, " Listen to 
me, dear Wilhelmine : I have determined to keep you quite 
under my own eye, and to take entire charge of your 
education ; but, at the same time, I sLall require many 
things of you. First of all, you must care for no one but 
me, and then you must be silent as the grave and obey me 
blindly. It depends on yourself alone if you wish to be 
treated as a grown-up girl, and gain my whole affection by 
obeying me in all things." I promised her everything she 
wished, and she then asked me whether I were not obliged 
every evening to tell Leti all that had taken place in my 
mother's and the King's apartments during the day, and 
also whether she ever spoke to me of the Margrave of 
Schwedt. I answered that this happened very often, and 
that she praised him exceedingly. " Are you sure that you 
are discreet, and can be silent," the Queen again said, " and 
that I can rely on your not repeating whatever I may 
confide to you ? " 

On my again assuring her of my entire discretion, she then 
told me the whole story about Madame von Blaspiel, just as I 
have written it down ; all about the intrigues of the Prince 
of Anhalt and Grrumkow, and also of her constant anxiety at 
the King's having again begun to speak of my marriage with 
the Margrave. Finally, she spoke of her great wish to see me 
married to her nephew, the Duke of Grioucester, and of all 
the advantages this event would have for me, as well as for 
herself. She then impressed on me not on any account to 
trust Leti, and added, " I know she is in the Prince of Anhalt 's 
pay; that she is constantly intriguing with Major Fourcade 
and M. Fournert, a French Minister; and I know too 
that she does not treat you properly, and often beats you. 
Confess the truth to me ; is it not so ? " Although all this 
was perfectly true, I denied it, as I did not wish to get Leti 
into trouble. 

" You are too young," the Queen began again, " to 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 29 

notice her intrigues, but you cannot deny that she ill-treats 
you, and that she only lately gave you such blows in the 
face that you bled, and in consequence had a fever which 
obliged you to keep your bed for several weeks." 

I was very much taken aback when I found that the 
Queen knew the whole story, and yet I denied it. When 
the Queen observed that I would say nothing, she merely 
remarked that for the future she wished me to tell Leti when 
she asked me about wliat had occurred in my parents' rooms 
that I declined to say anything, and that it was not my 
place, nor was it proper for me to repeat what had taken 
place between my father and mother. 

I had no sooner reached my own room that evening 
than Leti came and sat down beside me, and began at 
once to ask me about the events of the day. I did not 
wish at once to irritate her, so I said I had been working 
hard all day and did not know of anything that had 
happened. She then began to honour me with pleasing 
epithets. 

'' You are a great fool," she said, " and just such a donkey 
as your mother is. I know everything that has passed : you 
have not had so much to do as you pretend, so out with it all, 
or I will soon make you speak." She only said this to 
threaten me. I was trembling like an aspen, and did not 
know what to do, yet I determined to obey my mother, and 
answered Leti as she had bidden me. This person was too 
clever not to observe that I had been put up to this. She 
therefore tried by coaxing and threatening me to force 
me to repeat what I knew. But when she saw it was 
all of no use she gave full vent to her fury. Cuifs and 
blows were rained on me ; she did not know how to contain 
herself. Finally she threw me off my chair and left me. I 
fell with some violence, but happily escaped with only a few 
bruises, but my arms and face were black and blue, and I 
was so frightened that I could not get up. 



30 MEMOIRS OF THE 



My screams brouglit my maids to my help. One of them 
had been my nurse, and waited on me ever since my birth. 
After she had helped me, she went to Leti and told her that 
if she continued this ill-treatment, she would go straight to 
the Queen and tell her of it. When Leti saw what a plight 
I was in, and the state of my face, she got frightened and 
sat up all night bathing it. The next day the Queen was 
told I had had a bad fall, and I was good natured enough to 
say the same. Whether my mother believed this I do not 
know, for she said nothing. For the future, Leti spared my 
face ; but my arms and legs suffered doubly from her blows. 
These scenes took place every evening, and I was in utter 
despair. Nevertheless, whether it was for fear or from pride 
I refused ever to repeat anything to her. 

In this manner the winter went by. 

In June, the King and Queen thought fit to take my 
brother and myself to Charlottenburg, a beautiful castle near 
Berlin. Leti was left behind, and I was enti-usted to the 
care of Madame von Konnken. My birthday was celebrated 
there, and in honour of it the King gave a ball; and I 
received some beautiful presents both from him and from my 
mother. They grew daily fonder of me and more devoted. 
I was now ten years old, and my mental capacities were 
far in advance of my years. From Charlottenburg we 
went to Wusterhausen, and had scarcely arrived there when 
the King was taken most dangerously ill. We were in the 
height of summer, and the heat this year was something 
quite out of the common ; yet, in spite of this, the King 
was shivering all day long. A large fii'e was kept burning 
in his room, which was kept entirely shut up, so that not 
even a ray of hght could penetrate into it. In this room I 
had to sit near the fire from 7 a.m. till 10 p.m., leaving it 
only for my meals. It was torture, and my blood got into 
such a state of heat that it made me half dazed. The 
Queen suffered quite as much as I did, and had the ad- 



MARGRAYINE OF BAIREUTH. 31 

ditional anxiety of knowing tliat my brother Wilhelm and 
my second sister were seriously ill with dysentery. This 
complaint was raging all over the country, and many people 
died from it. It had assumed the form of a most dangerous 
epidemic. I too was soon attacked by it. The Uueen, who 
took no notice of people's ailments, and treated all illnesses 
very lightly, would not believe I was ill till I was at death's 
door. I was taken back to Berlin dying, and on my arrival 
there heard of my second brother's death, which had taken 
place that morning. 

On the ninth day of my illness, my end was hourly 
expected. My good constitution, however, and the care 
and attention of the doctors, saved my life ; but it was 
six weeks before I was able to leave my bed, and the first 
time I went out was a fortnight after my mother's return to 
Berlin, at the end of October. 

Leti continued to ill-treat me. She snored so loud that 
she prevented my sleeping, and consequently regaining my 
strength. Blows and bad language were not spared me, so 
that at last I sank into a state of melancholy. I was never 
very strong, and had a most sensitive nervous system, and it 
was but natm-al that my health should suffer from the 
constant state of nervous excitement in which I was kept. 
I got the jaundice, which never left me for two months, and 
then only to make room for a far more dangerous condition ; 
violent fever ensued, which developed into typhus. 

At first I was very delirious, but I soon became quite 
unconscious. In spite of the great danger to which they 
exposed themselves, the King and Queen came to my bed- 
side at ten at night. Their despair was terrible, and amidst 
tears of the bitterest grief they bid me a last farewell. I 
knew nothing. The faintest beating of my heart was the 
only sign of life remaining. It was the crisis. Next morn- 
ing I was more conscious and less feverish, and by slow 
degrees I recovered. 



k 



32 MEMOIRS OF THE 



As soon as I was able to speak again, the King came to 
see me. His joy and thankfulness at my recovery were so 
great that he said I might ask him for any favour I chose. 
I resolved at once to ask him to let me henceforth be treated 
as a grown-up person, and to be no longer dressed like a 
child ! He at once granted my wish, but when he came to 
talk it over with the Queen, she was strongly opposed to it : 
in the end, however, she had to give way. 

I w^not able to leave my room till the beginning of the 
year lixV. I was overjoyed at no longer being treated, as a 
child, and no longer wearing short frocks. I was exceed- 
ingly proud when dressed in my long gown, and I went to 
show myself to my mother. But, alas, I was doomed to dis- 
appointment, for no sooner had I entered her room, than she 
gave me a severe look, saying, " Dear me ! What a funny 
little figure ! You look exactly like a little dwarf." 
Imagine what a blow this was to my vanity. The Queen 
was in fact not wrong, but it would have been better to have 
been satisfied with this one remark. She continued, how- 
ever, to scold me roundly for having preferred this request to 
the King, as she had told me to turn to her for everything ; 
and she added that if I did such a thing again, she should be 
seriously angry with me. I made the best excuses I could, 
and assured her of my entire devotion. 

I have often enough described Leti's violent temper, but I 
cannot help mentioning the following occurrence, which 
brought many others in its train. My rooms were joined to 
a wing of the Castle by a wooden gallery, which was kept 
anything but clean or tidy. It was the fault of Eversmann, 
who was page to the King, and was in charge of the Castle. 
Of this man the King made a great favouiite. He was not 
happy in his choice of those who surrounded him, as he was 
no discerner of character. Eversmann had great power over 
the King. He was the greatest good-for-nothing in the 
whole land, and tried to do everyone as much harm as 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 33 

possible, and mixed himself up in all kind of low intrigues. 
Leti had several times told him to have the gallery properly 
cleaned, but with no result. She sent for him therefore one 
morning and scolded him soundly. He answered her most 
insolently, and had they not been separated they would 
certainly have come to blows. Eversmann vowed vengeance 
on Leti, and tried, a few days later, to malign her to the 
King. 

One evening the King began to question me in my Cate- 
chism, probably with the intention of finding fault with Leti. 
I answered him quite properly, but on his asking me to say 
the Ten Commandments and the Creed I got into a hopeless 
mess. And though he had been trying only to find some fault 
for which he could make Leti answerable, the King now grew 
furious with me. The whole weight of his displeasure 
fell on Leti and my master : he desired the Queen to pay 
more attention to my education, and be present for the future 
at all my lessons with them. My illness, which had lasted 
six months, had caused me to be very behindhand. I had 
been absent three months from the school-room, and then too 
the great number of subjects I had to learn by heart made me 
confuse one with the other. The Queen sent for Leti the 
following day, and scolded her severely. At the same time 
forbidding her in the King's name to receive any more visits 
from gentlemen, or even from clergymen. This was a terrible 
blow to Leti, and I was made to suffer in consequence, for the 
blows were more frequent than ever, and she tried in every 
way in her power to get me into trouble. 

I received another lectin-e from the Queen. She told me 
that she would find means to bring me to a sense of my 
duty, and that she should for the future treat me with great 
severity. Young as I was, I thought a good deal about this 
strange conduct on the part of my mother. " Do I deserve 
to be treated thus," I said to myself, "merely for my memory 
being at fault ? What can the Queen desire further of me 



34 



MEMOIRS OF THE 



than what I have already done ! She is the cause of all the 
blows and all the misery I daily endure. By her desire I 
have mistrusted Leti, and this is my reward. She is angry 
with me, and therefore she takes Leti's part, and tells me to 
do just the reverse of what she desired before." 

The whole of my life was changed from this moment. My 
lessons began at 8 a.m., and continued without intermission,- 
save during meal-times, till 10 at night. In the afternoon 
I did my lessons in the Queen's room, and she never failed 
to find fault with and scold me if I forgot a single word of 
what I had to repeat by heart. 

I cried all night, and became shy, frightened, and melan- 
choly. I lost all my spirits and liveliness, and was scarcely 
to be recognized. Providence had ordained that I should be 
trained from my earliest youth to bear the sorrows and 
troubles of life with patience, and to reflect on them — 
reflections which, owing to the great vivacity of my nature, 
I otherwise might not have made. 

This state of things lasted three months. The King was 
all the time at Berlin, and as I was in disgrace with the 
Q/ueen she had never spoken to me. 

After the King's departure, when my mother again held 
receptions in her own rooms, she took me aside one day, and 
said I was to call to remembrance what she had confided 
to me on a previous occasion, when she had however forgotten 
to name all those who were her enemies. She then named 
them severally to me, and they comprised nearly three- 
fourths of Berlin society. With those I was not to have any 
intercourse, and even when they came to pay their respects 
to my mother, I was not to speak with them. " It will be 
quite sufiicient," she said, " if you bow to them, but I forbid 
your mentioning to anybody what I have told you." I 
obeyed her to the letter, and was consequently detested by 
the whole town. They said I was proud and haughty, and 
that I had no idea how to behave myself. My mother's 



[MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 35; 

auspicious nature was her great failing, and tiirougli it she 
did many people great injustice. 

Leti at once observed that it was the Queen who kept me 
at such a distance from her. As she was no longer allowed 
to receive any visits in her own apartments, she had not 
either the means of continuing her many flirtations and 
state intrigues, and she became intensely bored with her 
~Tiode of life. That my marriage with the Margrave of 
Schwedt had been broken off was a great grief to her. The 
Prince of Anhalt's influence and power had much decreased 
since that unfortunate business with Madame von Blaspiel. 
Leti no longer received beautiful presents from him. All 
the fair promises which had been made her had vanished into 
hin air, and she had lost all the means of satisfying her 
personal ambition. 

She therefore wrote to '' My Lady " ArKngton, and 

• egged her to obtain for her the formal title of my governess, 

na of Lady of rank about my person, and if this could 

not be done, then to obtain the same post for her with the 

Enghsh princesses. 

In answer, Lady Arlington wrote her a letter which was 
purposely written to be shown to the Queen. It contained 
many fine promises as to her appointment at the English 
Court, and expressed great surprise that a person of such 
distinguished merits and abilities should have been treated 
with so little consideration. She should make propositions 
to the Queen, and if these were not accepted, she would then 
find such happiness in England that she would soon forget 
any advantages that might have been hers in her position at 
the Court of Berlin. All this was only a pre-arranged 
plan intended to frighten the Queen, and was devoid of all 
truth. 

Leti sent Lady Arlington's letter to the Queen, accom- 
panying it with a most insolent note of her own, in which 
she insisted on her demands being granted, or her immediate 

D 2 



36 MEMOIRS OF THE 



resignation being accepted. My mother was extremely 
offended by this behaviour, and took it very ill, yet as she 
favoured Lady Arlington, and as this Lady had great 
influence Tvith the King of England, she was fearful of what 
tricks Leti would play her there. She urged several persons 
therefore to dissuade her from carrying out her intention, 
but as this was of no avail, the Queen decided to show the 
King the letter as soon as ever he returned that day. Before 
she did so, she spoke to me on the subject, and asked me if I 
should not be delighted to get rid of her. This idea threw 
me into despair, and I begged and entreated my mother not 
to speak to the Kin g till the next day. This she promised on 
condition that I should obtain from Leti a promise to desist 
from her demands. As soon as I reached my rooms I spoke 
to Leti, and endeavoured by soft words to induce her to re- 
consider her determination of resig-nino:. I do not know 
whether my tears and protestations had any effect, or 
whether she herself was glad of an excuse for remaining : 
anyhow I succeeded in making her write another letter to the 
Queen, in which she implored her not to show the King 
her former note. Our friendship was not, however, of long 
duration. A fortnight had scarcely passed before the blows 
and ill-treatment began afresh, and it was clear that it was 
not caused by an outburst of temper, but by a real personal 
hatred of myself. 

Three months passed in this manner ; and it was only in 
March, 1721, that Leti finally determined to resign. This 
time she was in real earnest. Lady Arlington advised her 
to send in her resignation, and promised her her protection. 
Leti thereupon wrote a third time to the Queen, demanding 
to receive the title of my governess, with all the rights 
which belonged to it. Amongst other things, she insisted on 
dining at the royal table. " This was really no great 
honour," she wrote, " as numbers cf ' trumpery ' officers, 
whom I consider far beneath me, are received at that 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 37 

table." Madame von Roncoule was present when the Queen 
received the letter. To her my mother showed it. " How 
can your Majesty hesitate for one moment in accepting her 
resignation ? " this lady replied, after reading the letter. 
" Is your Majesty unaware of the manner in which she has 
treated the Princess ? I shall not he surprised if the 
Princess is not soon brought to you with broken arms and 
legs. The poor child suffers martyrdom, and I would beg 
your Majesty only to ask the Princess's maids, if you require 
proofs of what I have said ; you will then hear what scenes 
take place daily." The Uueen at once sent for my maids, 
who excused themselves for not having sooner mentioned 
these facts to her ; but they had been so threatened by Leti 
that they had not dared to do so. 

This was quite sufficient for the Queen, and she determined 
to speak to the King as soon as ever he returned to Berlin. 
Fearing that I should try to deter her, she said nothing to 
me about her intention. 

My father came home to Berlin at the beginning of April, 
and the Queen lost no time in communicating Leti's letter to 
him. He was so incensed at its insolent tone and contents 
that he would, had not the Queen begged of him not to do 
so, sent her then and there to Spandau. She, however, 
received orders to quit the Court without again seeing the 
King. 

My parents now took most anxiously into consideration to 
whom they were to entrust my education. The King chose 
a Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld, the Queen's second lady in 
waiting. She had been with the late Queen, and served 
her devotedly till she died, and was a highly trustworthy 
person. With this, enough has been said about her, as these 
memoirs will show how attached and faithful she was through 
good and evil times. She is still with me, and her devotion 
remains unchanged. The Queen did not approve of the 
King's choice, as she suspected Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld 



88 MEMOIRS OF THE 



of having been mixed up in Grrumkow's conspiracy against 
Madame von Blaspiel. Whom she wished to appoint instead 
I have never been able to learn, bnt in the end she gave way 
to the King's wishes. 

I knew nothing of all this, as I was not present during 
the conversation ; but my brother was in the room at the 
time, and presently told me all about it. I was much 
distressed at the news — so much so that the Q,ueen, on 
returning to my room, found me in tears. " Well," she 
said, " is it such a misfortune to part from Leti ? I should 
have thought you had received blows enough from her ! " 

I threw myself at her feet, and entreated her to reverse 
her decision. It was, however, all in vain, and she told me 
I must make up my mind to be satisfied with things as they 
were. 

My parents had a great deal of trouble in persuading 
Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld to accept the office of governess : 
but on the King's insisting she should do so, it was finally 
arranged, and she entered on her new duties on the Wednes- 
day in Easter week. 

Leti's fate grieved me much. I did all I could to prove 
my friendship for her. I most generously gave her all my 
dresses, and these, as well as the many costly presents she 
had at difi'erent times received from the Queen, amounted in 
value to five thousand thalers. The Queen was obliged to 
give me quite a new wardrobe after L6ti's departure. 

I soon grew accustomed to my new governess. Made- 
moiselle von Sonnsfeld had represented to the Queen that I 
must be treated with gentleness, and encouraged by every 
means ; I had suffered so much that I needed this. As 
the King backed her up in all she said, the Queen left her to 
do what she thought right, and I began by degrees to 
improve. She taught me what real feeling was. I now 
did my lessons with delight, and began to take an interest 
in literature and reading, which soon became my favourite 



MAKGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 



m 



occupation. I had an English and an Italian master added 
to the others. I was well versed in ancient and modem 
history, geography, and the first principles of philosophy ; 
I understood music thoroughly, and I made great progress 
with my studies. 

During the course of this year nothing of importance 
occurred, nor during the first half of the next year, 1722, 
beyond that my mother gave birth to another son, who was 
named Augustus William. 

Among the household of the late Queen, my grandmother, 
was a Lady named Polnitz. She had been Lady-in-waiting, 
and was a great favourite with the Queen. This she had not 
deserved : she was clever and well read, but untrustworthy, 
and had as sharp and ill-natured a tongue as it is 
possible to have. Since the Queen's death she had lived on 
a pension which the King of England paid in remembrance 
of his sister. Polnitz came about this time to Berlin to visit 
her family who lived there. But before I say more on this 
subject, I must give a brief description of the English Court. 

King Greorge I. was very proud of being imbued with the 
ideas of the Eoman Emperors, and of possessing great 
powers of resolution ; but these unfortunately were not 
based on sound principles, and became therefore, instead of 
virtues, great faults. He was very cold-blooded, and never 
put himself out. He was very fair and just, but niggardly 
to a degree. He was moderately clever, with a chilling 
manner. He spoke very little, and gave very abrupt 
answers. He was entirely in the power of his favourite and 
his mistress. This latter belonged to the family of the 
Schulenburgs. 

After the King ascended the throne of England she re- 
ceived the title of Duchess of Kendal, and in Germany that 
of Princess of Eberstein. The Princess of Wales* was most 



* Caroline of Anspach. 



40 MEMOIRS or THE 



cultivated and well fitted for the management of afi'airs. 
Her pleasant courteous manner at first gained her all hearts ; 
but on nearer acquaintance she proved to be false, proud and 
ambitious. Her character resembled that of Agrippina* and 
she might well have exclaimed with that Princess, " Let every- 
thing perish, but let me remain sovereign." The Prince of 
Wales was, like his father, no great genius. He had a violent 
temper, was vivacious, and revengeful as well as avaricious and 
proud. The Duchess of Kendal was a good woman. She 
had no great faults or great virtues. Most people believed 
she was married to the King. Her one great anxiety was to 
retain her influence over him, and keep at a distance 
all those who were opposed to her or could interfere with 
her. 

My Lady Arlington was the illegitimate daughter of the 
late Elector of Hanover and the Countess Platen, and, 
therefore, a step-sister of King Gleorge. She was very clever, 
but used her cleverness to no good purpose, and was a slave 
to evil ways. These three women, however much they hated 
one another, were agreed on one point, viz., to prevent the 
Duke of Gloucester's marriage with any princess of a great 
family or possessing great intelligence. As they had heard 
about me, and knew me to be very clever, they took a dislike 
to me ; the more so as they were avowed enemies of my 
mother, who had on several occasions not treated them over 
wisely. 

But to return to Polnitz. She was a creature of my Lady 
Arlington's. As King Greorge was to come to Germany the 
following year. Lady Arhngton sent Polnitz to Berlin to 
play her game there for her. And she could not have chosen 
a better tool ! The Queen received her very graciously and 
presented her to me. She had scarcely looked at me, before 
she began to examine me from head to foot ; then, turning 

* Daughter of Germanicus Csesar, and mother of the Emperor Nero. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 



41 



to the Queen, she exclaimed : " Grood gracioiis mt, your 
Majesty, what a sorry appearance the Princess presents ! 
She holds herself so badly, and is so stout for a young lady 
of her age." 

I was extremely put out at this pleasant beginning, so 
much so that I was unable to say a word. The Uueen her- 
self was much taken aback, but answered quietly, " I do not 
pretend to dispute your remarks as to her presenting a sorry 
appearance, but as to her figure it is faultless, and she will 
fine down as she grows taller. If you talk to her, you will 
find that she is not what you think." Upon this, Polnitz 
took me aside and began to ask me a hundred questions, fit 
for a child of four years old, but certainly not for one of my 
age. This aggravated me, so I determined not to answer 
her any more. My mother now heaped reproaches on me 
for my behaviour, and this she continued to do as long as 
Polnitz was in Berlin. This lady sought in every way in her 
power to do me injuiy. On one occasion, when the conversa- 
tion turned on people's powers of memory, my mother 
remarked that I had a wonderful power of remembering 
things, whereupon Polnitz smiled in a most disdainful 
manner, as much as to say that she did not believe a word of 
it. My mother most unwillingly proposed to test my 
memory by making me learn 150 verses by heart in two 
hours. Polnitz said that might be done, but that she was 
ready to bet that I would not remember anything of what 
she would write down for me to learn. She then wrote 
down fifty ridiculous names of her own invention, putting a 
number to each ; these she read twice over to me, mentioning 
each number, and I had then to repeat them by heart to her. 
The first time it succeeded quite well. She then insisted 
on tr}dng it over again ; but this time she asked me to say 
the names out of their proper order, only mentioning the 
numbers to me. This too succeeded admirably to her great 
disgust. I had never before strained my memory to such a 



42 MEMOIKS OF THE 



degree, but, nevertheless, Polnitz did not deign to say one 
word in approval. 

Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld, who had been Lady-in- 
waiting with her in former years, and who knew how 
spiteful she was, comforted me as much as she could. She 
even spoke to the Queen about it, and assured her Polnitz 
had tried on every occasion to find fault with all I did, and 
that she was sure she had some private motive in doing so. 

Soon after Polnitz had taken her departure, another 
Hanoverian lady, a sister of Madame von Konnken, came to 
Berlin. Her name was Brunow, and she had formerly 
been governess to the Queen. She was a good-natured 
but most foolish creature. 

She asked her sister many questions about me, and this 
lady, who was very fond of me, praised me more than I 
really deserved. Madame von Brunow seemed very much 
sui'prised, and remarked that surely between sisters one 
might speak the truth. On Madame von Konnken asking 
what she meant by this, she replied, "I mean that your 
Princess is a perfect devil ; that she beats her servants daily ; 
that she is proud and haughty, and is, besides, so deformed 
that she is humped before and behind ! " Madame von 
Konnken demanded to know on whose authority she said 
such things, adding that it was quite immaterial, as it could 
be contradicted at any moment. A few days after this 
conversation, Madame von Brunow came to see me, and was 
much surprised to find me so totally different from what she 
had expected. Still, she would not be satisfied till she had 
seen me without my clothes, and had seen with her own eyes 
that I was not hump-backed. I had to undergo this same 
treatment at the hands of several other ladies who came from 
Hanover, and was perfectly furious at it. 

The year 1723 was much more interesting. The King 
of England came to Hanover, accompanied by the Duchess 
of Kendal and Lady Arlington. Leti was in my lady's 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 43 

suite, as she was quite dependent on her. My father, who 
was at that time most anxious for my marriage with the 
Duke of Grloucester, went to Hanover soon after the King's 
arrival there. They got on extremely well together during 
the whole of the visit. After my father's return, my mother 
also went to Hanover, entrusted hy him with secret powers 
empowering her to conclude the marriage treaties of my 
brother and myself. The Uueen found the King her father 
much inclined to consent to my brother's marriage, but not 
favourable to a double marriage. He spoke in such a 
manner of me as to show clearly that he was not sure that 
my character and temper would suit the Duke his grandson. 
The Queen, in despair at this answer, turned to the Duchess 
of Kendal, enlisting her kind interest and help. She 
succeeded so well in this that the Duchess confided to her 
that the unfavourable reports about me which had reached 
the King were the cause of his acting in this manner. After 
much pressing on my mother's part, the Duchess told her 
that Leti had represented me in such a light that it was 
enough to deter any man from marrying me. She had said 
that I was laide a /aire peur and deformed, that I was as bad 
as I was ugly, and that I was so violent that my violence 
often caused me to have epileptic fits. 

" Your Majesty can well understand," the Duchess 
added, " that the King would not give his consent to the 
marriage, the more so as Polnitz had fully confirmed all the 
reports." 

The Queen was unable to conceal her anger at all this. 
She told the whole truth about Leti and her behaviour, and 
was so well supported by her suite that she succeeded in 
doing away with the bad impression that had been created 
of me. The Duchess now determined she would herself put 
an end to these calumnies. She suggested to the Queen 
that the King of England should be invited to Berlin, that 
he might convince himself of the utter untruth of these 



44 MEMOIKS OF THE 



stories. This plan succeeded, and the King's visit to Berlin 
was fixed for the month of October. 

The Qneen returned triumphant, and was very well received 
by mv father, who was overjoyed at the near prospect of 
seeing his wishes realized. Happiness reigned everywhere. 
I alone was sad and depressed, for my mother scolded me 
incessantly, and insisted that I had given cause for these cruel 
inventions of Leti's. I was very stout, and my figure was 
not yet formed, but to make me slighter, my mother had me 
laced so tight that I could neither eat nor drink:. Whatever 
I did she was sure to tell me that my manners would not 
please the Duke of Grloucester. " Your behaviour will not 
win him." I would rather a thousand times have endured 
Leti's blows, than have listened to these speeches, which gave 
me a perfect horror of the marriage. I spoke about it one 
day to my governess. " I am in despair," I said, '"' for I 
cannot please the Queen. She finds fault with everything I 
do, and I cannot satisfy her. I bow to her wishes at all times, 
and it is very hard to have to hear constantly that this and 
that will not please the Duke of G-loucester. I was not aware 
tliat ladies had to study the tempers and likings of gentlemen 
before they ever were married to them, and I cannot 
understand all the fuss the Queen makes about this mar- 
riage. I consider myself every bit as good as the Duke of 
Gloucester, and if the Queen really wishes my happiness, 
she had best consult the wishes of my heart, as well as those 
of the Duke I I do not even know him, and have never seen 
him, and who can say that when I do, I shall care for him ? 
Tell all this to the Queen, and say that I shall always show 
myself obedient in eveiy respect, but that I shall never do 
anything merely to please her nephew.*' Mademoiselle von 
Sonnsfeld was much surprised at my speech. She did not 
approve of the way in which my mother treated me, but 
could not prevent it. She promised me nevertheless to speak 
to her, and her representations resulted in my being for some 
time left in peace. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREIJTH. 45 

Shortly afterwards, a personage belonging to the Duke's 
Court came to Berlin. The Queen was at this time holding 
receptions in her own apartments ; and this gentleman, who 
was present at one of them, brought me very civil messages 
from his master. I merely acknowledged them by bowing 
to him, and then I put some questions to him respecting the 
Hanoverian Court. The Queen had been watching this 
interview with the greatest attention ; and that same evening 
I had a tremendous scene w^ith her, for she reproached me 
bitterly for having received the Duke's messages so coldly. 
I went in despair to my own room, mentally abusing the 
Duke and the marriage, and determined that my consent 
should not be so easily gained. 

The arrival of the King of England was now close at 
hand. 

We went to Charlottenburg on the 6th of October ; and 
on the 7th, in the evening, King George arrived there. The 
whole Court was assembled, and the King and Queen and all 
the princes received him as he alighted from his carriage. 
After they had welcomed him, I was presented to him. He 
embraced me, and said nothing further than " She is very 
tall ; how old is she ? " Then he gave his hand to the 
Queen, who led him to her room, all the princes following. 
No sooner had he reached her room, than he took a candle, 
which he held under my nose, and looked at me from top to 
toe. I can never describe the state of agitation I was in. 
I turned red and pale by turns ; and all the time he never 
uttered one word. My brother, on the other hand, he 
treated with the greatest kindness, and talked a long time 
with him, and this gave me time to recover myself. 

My mother and I then shortly left this room, and all the 
English gentlemen in the King's suite were presented to 
her. After having spoken to them for some time, she left 
me quite alone among them, and though I felt terribly shy 
at being by myself with so many gentlemen I got on quite 



46 MEMOIRS OF THE 



well. I had an English, conversation with Mj Lords 
Carteret and Townsend, the two Secretaries of State. I spoke 
their language as fluently as my own mother tongue. The 
Queen let me converse with them for more than an hour, and 
then came and fetched me away. She was extremely pleased 
at the praises bestowed on me by these gentlemen. The 
English gentlemen said I had the manners and bearing of an 
English woman; and, as this nation considers itself far 
above any other, this was great praise. 

The King of England never unbent in the least, but 
remained cold and stem. He never spoke to any lady, but 
merely bowed. After I left the room he asked my govem- 
ness if I were always so serious and melancholy. This 
question and his reception of me frightened me so much 
that I could never muster up courage to speak to him all the 
time he was at Berlin. 

At last we went to dinner. The Queen kept the conversa- 
tion going. "We had already sat for two hours at table when 
Lord Townsend asked me to beg my mother to get up from 
the dinner table as the King of England was not feeling 
well. She thereupon made some excuse, saying he must be 
tired, and suggested to him that dinner was over. He, 
however, several times declared he was not the least tired, 
and, to prevent further argument on the subject, she laid 
down her napkin and got up from her chair. She had no 
sooner done so than the King began to stagger. My father 
rushed forward to help him, and several persons came to his 
aid, and held him up for a while, when he suddenly gave 
way altogether, and had he not been supported, he would 
have had a dreadful fall. His wig lay on one side and his 
hat on the other, and they had to lay him down on the floor, 
where he remained a whole hour before regaining conscious- 
ness. Every one thought he had had a paralytic stroke. 
The remedies used had the desired effect, and by degrees he 
recovered. He was entreated to go to bed, but would not 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 47 

hear of it, till he had accompanied my mother back to her 
apartments. 

The rest of his visit was celebrated by fetes, balls, &c. 
Daily conferences took place about the treaty for the double 
marriage, and on the 12th of the same month it was signed. 
The King, of England left on the 13th. My father and 
mother were to follow him to Grhor^ a shooting castle near 
Hanover, but my mother had, for the last seven months, been 
in very bad health. Her condition was a strange one, and 
none of the doctors knew what was really the matter. How- 
ever the evening before the King's departure for Grhor, which 
had been fixed for the morning of the 8th November, the 
Queen was suddenly taken ill, and before proper help could 
be obtained, gave birth to a princess, there being no one with 
her besides the King and her maid. There was no cradle 
ready, no baby clothes. There never reigned such confusion 
or consternation as during that night. Soon after the birth 
of the child I was sent for by the King and found him in 
high spirits, dehghted at having officiated as both doctor and 
nurse. 

My brother, the Duke of Grloucester, the Princess Amelia 
of England, and I stood sponsors to the child, who received 
the names Anna Maria. 

The King left Berlin on the following day. Grumkow, 
who had made his peace with the King of England, accom- 
panied him. My father was absent for a fortnight at Grhor, 
and we hoped to see him return in excellent humour ; but 
such was not the case. He sent for us as soon as he arrived, 
without ever going near the Queen's room, and received us 
most kindly, but never asked after our mother. He dined 
with us in the evening, passing through her room without 
saying a word to her. At dinner he was very silent and 
thoughtful, and his whole manner was so strange that it filled 
us all with apprehension. The Queen was greatly upset as 
after dinner he again passed through her room without 



48 MEMOIRS OF THE 



taking any notice of her. She called him back to her bed- 
side in the tenderest manner, but the only answer she re- 
ceived was a perfect flood of abuse, accusations, and insults 
with respect to the birth of this child, ending with a charge 
of having been unfaithful to him. She had not expected 
such treatment, for her conduct was at all times most 
exemplary, so that even the worst slander could not touch 
her. The answers she gave the King only enraged him 
more, and had he not been compelled by the Mistress of the 
Bobes to leave the room there is no knowing what he might 
have done. The next morning he instituted an enquiry as to 
the Queen's conduct, but one and all took her part so vehe- 
mently that his suspicions (which we afterwards found had 
been aroused through Grrumkow) were set entirely at rest. 
He thereupon asked the Queen's forgiveness, and peace was 
re-established. 

Nothing of interest took place at the beginning of the year 
1724, till the month of June, when the relations between the 
English and Prussian Courts began to be less friendly. My 
father's greatest passion and amusement consisted first in 
hoarding up money, and then in perfecting his regiment at 
Potsdam, of which he was Colonel. This regiment was 
composed of nothing but giants, the smallest of the men being- 
six feet. They were sought for all over the world, and the 
recruiting sergeants took them by force wherever they found 
them. Up to this time the King of England had constantly 
sent my father such recruits, but the Hanoverian Grovernment, 
which had never been friendly to the House of Brandenburg, 
refused to obey their King's orders any longer, hoping by 
this means to create a bad feeling between the two Courts. 
Some Prussian officers were bold enough to take several 
men by force from Hanoverian soil. This caused a great 
disturbance. The Hanoverians demanded satisfaction, but as 
the King could not make up his mind to send the men back 
again, the relations between the two sovereigns became very 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 49 

strained, and ended, as I shall show, later on in open 
hatred. 

About this time too the Devil's Kingdom began to be less 
peaceful. The story was ridiculous enough in itself, and 
would have made us laugh had it not caused us so much sorrow. 
Till now, Grrumkow and the Prince of Anhalt had been firm 
friends. The latter had entirely lost all his influence with 
the King, and was tolerated by him only on account of his 
great knowledge and experience in military matters. The 
former retained the King's favour. As he had not been able 
to prevent the marriage treaty and the project of a double 
marriage with England, he tried to bring them to a favour- 
able termination, thereby hoping to be overwhelmed with 
gratitude and presents. He had actually succeeded in gain- 
ing the Queen's favour to a certain extent. But this was all 
a mere farce. The Prince of Anhalt had been godfather to 
one of Grrumkow's daughters, and this last said that the Prince 
had promised his godchild 3,000 thalers whenever she married. 
A suitable oifer had just been made the young lady, and 
Grramkow wrote to the Prince to remind him of his promise, 
which he, however, denied ever having made. A very warm 
correspondence now ensued, which ended in each accusing 
the other of his past conduct. 

This all soon reached the King's ears. He tried by every 
means in his power to bring about a reconciliation. The 
Prince of Anhalt would, however, hear of no compromise. 
Nothing remained now but that a duel should put an end to 
this unpleasant affair. 

In spite of all the descriptions I have given in these 
Memoirs of Grrumkow's character, I have always forgotten to 
mention his being as great a coward as ever lived. He gave 
proof of his great valour at the battle of Malplaquet, where 
he threw himself into a ditch, saying he had sprained his 
leg, and remained lying there during the whole time the 
battle lasted. During the Stralsund campaign, the poor man 



50 MEMOIRS OF THE 



was so ill that, to everybody's regret, he was not ahle to take 
to another ditch ! He, therefore, had no great desu^e to 
draw his sword ; and as a duel is forbidden by Grod's laws as 
well as by man's, he hoped to reap the reward of a heavenly 
crown, and allowed every insult to be heaped u]3on him. He 
also took all possible steps to effect a reconciliation with the 
Prince of Anhalt. This latter, who knew with what a 
coward he was dealing, turned a deaf ear to every entreaty. 
Grrumkow had, therefore, no other resource left him but to 
accept the Prince's challenge. He chose his great friend, 
Greneral von Seckendorf, as his second. Nothing was more 
ridiculous than the letters this person wrote him to give 
him fresh courage. The King now interposed, and 
summoned a council of war at Berlin, composed of all the 
generals and colonels in the Army, and these were to decide 
the dispute. The greater part of the generals were devoted 
to the Queen, who managed so cleverly that the affair was 
settled in Grrumkow's favour. The Prince of Anhalt 
returned to Dessau, and Grrumkow was, for form's sake, put 
under arrest for several days in his own house. As soon as 
he was set at liberty, the King, who had managed the whole 
affair, advised him to fight the duel. They, therefore, drew 
their swords, and Grrumkow threw himself on his knees 
before the Prince of Anhalt, imploring him to reinstate him 
in his favour, and to forget all that had passed. The only 
answer he received was that the Prince turned his back upon 
him. From that time forward they were sworn enemies, 
and their hatred of each other ceased only at Grumkow's 
death. The Uueen made a grave mistake in protecting 
Grrumkow. The Prince of Anhalt would have been far more 
useful to her, for he was of a generous disposition and a very 
faithful friend. He had by far the better nature of the 
two, and had wonderfully improved. Many people lay the 
blame of his evil conduct at Grumkow's door, as he had 
urged him on by his abominable advice. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 51 

I shall now return to the account of my own life, which. I 
have abandoned for a few moments, to mention the foregoing 
occurrence. The King of England came again to Grermany in 
the course of this year. My father, who flattered himself that 
he should get my marriage settled and celebrated, went to 
Hanover, where he was well received. When he returned, 
he sent my mother there, to try her hand at settling the last 
details of this much longed-for alliance. I was only fifteen, 
and the Duke of Gloucester seventeen. Our great youth was 
put forward in the first instance as a reason for postponing 
the marriage ; then, too, Parliament had not been consulted 
about it. To soften the blow of his refusal to the marriage, 
the King of England assured my mother of his willingness 
to have the marriage celebrated during his next visit to 
Grermany. The Queen had had only six weeks leave of 
absence from Berlin, but as her father treated her with much 
affection and kindness, she still hoped to see the object of her 
visit realized. She therefore begged my father to let her 
remain on longer, assuring him that she should, in time, be 
able to settle matters. This prospect induced the King to 
give her permission to continue her stay in Hanover. 

During my mother's absence I remained at Berlin, and in 
great favour with the King. Every afternoon I talked with 
him, of an evening we dined together. He showed me much 
confidence, and even talked to me about affairs. In order to 
distinguish me still more, he ordered receptions to be held, at 
which he wished me to be treated like the Queen. My 
sisters' governesses were desired to bring me a daily report, 
and not to do anything without my knowledge. I in no 
way abused all the honours that were shown me. Young as 
I was, I could quite weU have directed my sisters' education. 
I was as reasonable as anybody of forty might have been. 

I had been for several years troubled with very bad head- 
aches, and, though the pain often caused me to faint, I was 
never allowed to keep my room. The Queen was terribly 

E 2 



52 MEMOIRS OF THE 



hard about such, things. Indeed, though I was sufiering 
tortures, I had to be as cheerful and bright as if nothing 
were the matter with me. She had given me such very strict 
injunctions on this subject before she left home that I was 
obliged to control myself to the utmost degree during the 
whole time she was absent. However, the day before her 
return I was suddenly taken ill in the night with violent 
fever, headache, and delirium, so that the doctors were at a 
loss what to do. I screamed dreadfully, and it took six 
people to hold me down in bed. Messengers were at once 
sent off to inform the King and Queen of my condition. 

The Queen arrived at Berlin in the evening. She had not 
expected to find me so ill, for my life was despaired of. At 
length an abscess broke in my head, which discharged 
through the ear ; in consequence of which the fever and 
pain decreased, and in a few days I was pronounced out of 
danger. My father arrived at Berlin three days after the 
Queen, and came at once to see me. He was terribly upset, 
and cried when he saw the deplorable condition I was in. 
On the other hand, he would not see the Queen, and had all 
the doors locked that communicated with her rooms. He 
was extremely angry with her, on account of her long and 
useless visit to Hanover, and also because she had flattered 
him that she would bring about the speedy realization of his 
plans. 

My mother had a very jealous nature. The manner in 
which my father noticed me made her furious with me. One 
of her ladies, the daughter of Countess Finkenstein — whom 
I shall always designate as the Countess Amelie, to dis- 
tinguish her from her mother — stirred my mother's anger up 
against me. This lady was in love with one of the King's 
ministers, who was ambassador in England. He was named 
Wallenrodt, and was a complete buffoon. She had got her 
plan all cut and dried. Looking on my marriage as a 
certainty, she intended to ingratiate herself with the Duke of 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 53 

Grloucester, so as to obtain tlie post of Mistress of the Eobes 
in my Household. To attain this object it was necessary 
to get rid of my present Lady-in-waiting, and accordingly 
to calumniate her to my mother, so as to bring about a 
rupture. As Countess Amelie was in such high favour with 
the Queen, and ruled her completely, this was easily done. 
I had liked this girl very much ; and it was to some extent 
my fault that she was such a favourite. But she rewarded 
me very ill, for she was the cause of my mother's anger 
against me, and of the constant reproaches that were heaped 
on me. I dared no longer speak in the King's presence, or 
show him the least mark of affection, for if I did so, the 
Queen was sure to scold and say I loved him better than 
her; and that if I did not care for her, she could get on 
quite well without me ! 

It was the same with my brother ; if the King told him to 
do anything, the Queen was sure at once to forbid his doing 
it. The poor child often did not know what to do, but as 
Count Finkenstein, his governor, was a great favourite with 
my mother, and taught him to care much more for her than 
for his father, he always obeyed my mother's orders rather 
than the King's. This was naturally most irritating to a 
man of my father's obstinate nature. 

At the beginning of the year 1726, the Queen gave birth 
to a son, who received the name of Henry. As soon as she 
had recovered from her confinement, we all went to Potsdam. 
I cannot resist giving an account of a most ridiculous incident 
which happened to me. We led a most sad life. We were 
awakened at seven every morning by the King's regiment, 
which exercised in front of the windows of our rooms, which 
were on the ground floor. The firing went on incessantly — 
piff, puff — and lasted the whole morning. At ten we went 
to see my mother, and accompanied her into the room 
next the King's, where we sat and sighed all the rest of the 
morning. Then came dinner-time ; the dinner consisted 



54 MEMOIRS OF THE 



of six small badly cooked dishes, wHcIl had to suffice for 
twenty-f OTir persons, so that some had to be satisfied with the 
mere smell. At table, nothing else was talked of but economy 
and soldiers. The Queen and ourselves, too unworthy to 
open our mouths, listened in humble silence to the oracles 
which were pronounced. 

When dinner was over, the King sat himself down in a 
wooden armchair and slept for two hours. But before doing 
so, he generally managed to make some unpleasant speech 
for the Queen or for us. As long as the King slept I 
worked, and as soon as he woke up he went away. The 
Queen then went back into her room, where I read aloud to 
her till the King returned. He came back only for a few 
minutes, and then went to the " Tabagie." This was the 
time I had free. I loved music dearly, and practised, and 
made great progress in it. Supper, from which we generally 
got up hungry, was at eight in the evening. The Queen 
played at cards with her Lady-in-waiting and mine, who 
were our only attendants, and I remained alone with my 
sister. As her age did not in any way make her a com- 
panion for me, my only resource was in my books. I had 
a small library, which I hid under all the beds and tables, 
for the King despised all learning, and wished me to occupy 
myself with nothing but needlework and household duties 
or details. Had he ever found me wiiting or reading he 
would probably have whipped me. On the other hand, I 
should have grieved my mother greatly had I neglected 
my education, as she encoui-aged me more and more to 
improve and cultivate my mind. 

My brother, who was in great disgrace with the King, 
remained at Berlin during the year 1726. The King was 
very angry with him, and one day expressed himself in such 
a manner about him, that we trembled for the poor child. 
He said he would put him in prison, disinherit him, get rid 
of his governor. Count Finkenstein, and treat him in such a 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 55 

manner as to teach him what a disobedient son deserved. 
We should have paid no heed to such remarks had anyone 
else but the King made them ; but we were, alas ! but too 
well acquainted with his violence not to fear for its conse- 
quences. The chief cause of his anger was the determined 
manner in which my brother refused to be subject to him ; 
and it was not the poor young Prince's fault ; the Queen had 
forbidden him to be so. The King continued abusing the 
Prince till the evening, when he said he would not have any 
supper, and went to his smoking party. As soon as we 
reached the Uueen's room she told me to sit down and write 
and tell my brother all that had taken place, enclosing him 
a rough draft of a letter to the King, in which he begged 
him for forgiveness. 

I was writing quietly, and had nearly finished my letter, 
when I heard the King coming — for he had such a heavy 
step that it always sounded as if he wore thick boots. The 
fright I was in could not be described, but I never lost my head, 
and hid my letter behind a Chinese cabinet. My governess 
put my pens, etc., in safety. As the King was already in the 
room, I slipped the ink-bottle into my pocket, and there I held 
it in my hand. This was all done in a second. The King 
spoke a few words to the Q/Ueen, and then moved towards the 
Chinese cabinet. "It is a pretty thing," he said, " I will 
give it to you," at the same time trying the lock. I saw 
the moment coming when my letter would fall to the ground 
and be discovered. The Uueen, half dead with terror, 
directed the King's attention to her little dog and mine, 
which were at the other end of the room. " Look," she 
said, "my daughter will have it that her dog is much 
prettier than mine ; now you must be the judge, and decide 
between us." He laughed, and asked me if I was very fond of 
my dog? "Yes, I am," I answered, " because he has so much 
sense, and deserves so much at my hands." My answer so 
pleased the King that he took me in his arms and kissed me. 



06 MEMOIRS OF THE 



And I — oil ! miserable fate — I was obliged to let go the ink- 
bottle, wHch was spilt all over me and the floor. I never 
stirred or moved. Happily the King soon left the room, and 
put an end to the painful position we were in. The ink had 
wetted me to the skin, so that I had to be dried. When 
once the danger was over, we were able to laugh heartily at 
the whole occurrence. 

The King soon afterwards made it all up with my brother, 
who then came to Potsdam. He was the most amiable Prince 
you could see, handsome, well-grown, with great mental gifts, 
and endued with all the virtues which could make a perfect 
sovereign. 

I now come to most serious events, which were the cause of all 
the cruel fatalities which afterwards befell my beloved brother 
and myself. In the year 1717, the Emperor* had founded 
an East Indian Company in Ostend, a small town in Holland. 
This company began to trade with two ships, and in spite of 
all the difficulties which the Dutch tried to lay in their way, 
they reaped many advantages. The Emperor had given this 
company, to the exclusion of all his other subjects, the right and 
privilege for thirty years of extending their trade to Afiica 
and India. As trade and commerce are the best means of 
increasing the prosperity of a State, the Emperor had made a 
secret treaty with Spain, in 1725, in which he bound himself 
to obtain G-ibraltar and Port Mahon for the Spaniards. In 
addition to this, a Treaty of Commerce was made with this 
country, to which the Russian Empress also became a party. 
These secret negotiations of the Court of Yienna did not long 
remain unknown to England, Erance, and Holland. The East 
Indian trade had already attacked that of the two Maritime 
Powers, and as the greatness of these Powers lay in their 
commerce, they soon became aware that the Yienna Treaty 
meant their ruin. In order to resist the ambitious designs of 

* Charles VI. of Austria, Emperor of Germany. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 57 

Austria and Spain, they made a new alliance with France, 
Prussia, Denmark, and Sweden, and it was this treaty which 
was signed at Charlottenburg. 

The Emperor was well aware that he could not with- 
stand so powerful a combination, and therefore sought to 
destroy it. He found this, however, no easy matter, as he 
met everywhere with resistance. He would have been 
obliged to seek for other means had not the Count Secken- 
dorf, whom I have already mentioned, helped him out of the 
difficulty. Seckendorf was Grrumkow's most intimate friend. 
He knew him thoroughly, and was aware that his ambition 
and selfishness would make him shrink from nothing. 
Already in the preceding year he had written to Grumkow, 
telling him of the Emperor's precarious position, and of the 
need in which he stood of the King's support. These letters 
were accompanied by presents, and by promises that offered 
no small temptation to so venal a nature. 

As I have before said, the friendly relations between the 
Courts of England and Prussia had cooled down since the year 
1725. My father was much annoyed, too, at the postponement 
of my marriage. Grrumkow kept constantly telling him that 
the King of England was only trying to put him off, and 
had negotiated only to attain the end he had in view, 
namely, to gain him over to his side ; when he no longer 
wanted him, he would let the mask drop, and pay no more 
attention to any promises he had made. In this way Crum- 
kow had prepared the King to consent to break through the 
treaty. The King was most anxious for my marriage for 
more than one reason. England and the other signatories of 
the Hanoverian Treaty had guaranteed him the enfeoffment 
(investitur) of the principalities of Jiilich and Berg.* But the 

* The death of the idiotic Duke of Cleve Jiilich and Berg in 1609 without 
issue was the cause of prolonged hostilities between the Protestant Union 
and the Catholic League. As the succession was the cause of the dispute, 
the Emperor of Germany claimed the lands for himself till matters were 



58 MEMOIRS OF THE 



King had the misfortune to be always deceived by those who 
least deserved his confidence, and these knowing his violent 
temper, used his weakness to assist them in attaining what- 
ever end they had in view. 

"When Seckendorf, who had been sent as special envoy, 
reached Berlin, he found everything ripe for his plans. He 
began by ingratiating himself with the King, who had known 
him from the time when he had been in the Saxon service, 
and had always respected him. He brought a whole suite 
of Hungarian soldiers (Heyducken) with him, the smallest of 
whom stood six feet. These were presented to the King, to- 
gether with gracious messages from the Emperor, and also 
permission to raise recruits from Hungary and any other 
part of his dominions where tall men were to be found. The 
King was overjoyed at this ; nor did the brilliant fetes 
which Seckendorf gave in his honour fail to make their im- 
pression, for the King was very fond of amusements and 
good living as long as he had not to pay for them. Only 
Seckendorf and Grrumkow's friends were invited to these 
festivities, so that it became an easy matter to win the King 
over to the Emperor's cause ; yet the treaty with England 
was still to be preserved intact. The King was also strongly of 
that opinion, as he still flattered himself that my marriage 
might come to pass. 

The Queen was much distressed and troubled by all these 
machinations, for she foresaw their results, which could only 
be the reverse of pleasant. My father continued to be very 
bitter against the King of England, and never mentioned 

settled, but the two pretenders, the Elector of Brandenburg and the Palatine 
of Neuburg, hastily took possession of them. There soon, however, arose 
fresh quarrels between them, and the Elector called the Dutch to his aid, 
whilst the Palatine was supported by Spain. In 1614 the dispute was 
settled. Brandenburg got Cleve, and Neuburg, Jiilich Berg ; and they 
divided the lands between them. The hatred and differences of religion, 
however, continued to grow more marked. In a word, the partition may be 
looked on as the prelude to the Thirty Years' War. — Note hy the Translatcr. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 59 

him without using some abusive epithet. My mother could 
not listen to this in silence, and always had an answer ready. 
There were, consequently, daily quarrels between them, 
which always ended in serious differences. But this was 
only the beginning of all the trouble and sorrow which were 
in store for us ; and had we then known what was to follow^, 
we should have thought our present condition very agreeable. 

I must mention one other event which took place in the 
year 1725. Whilst the Queen was at Berlin, she often con- 
versed with the French Envoy, Count von Eotenburg, about 
the sad position she was in with reference to the English 
Court. He gave her all the information he received on the 
subject. One day, when she was taUdng to him about it, he 
mentioned to her that, in spite of all the trouble France had 
given herself at the English Court to bring about the speedy 
settlement of my marriage, it had availed nothing ; that he 
was well aware that the continued obstinacy of the King of 
England must cause a breach, but that he did not understand 
why the Queen was so grieved about it, as the Prince of 
Wales was, after all, not the only alliance I could make, and 
that other crowns could be offered me that were worth quite 
as much as that of England ! The Queen was much taken 
aback by this speech, not knowing to what it might lead. 
Count Eotenburg, observing this, continued as follows : 
" Our King is not yet married, and he would be overjoyed 
to win for himself a Princess such as the daughter of your 
Majesty." The Queen, answering him, said : "I have 
nothing to find fault with in your offer ; but the religion is a 
bar to it, and for this reason I could never give my consent." 
She thereupon turned the conversation. The Count after- 
wards sounded the King on the subject, and received much 
the same answer. The question, consequently, was never 
raised again. 

The year 1727 was not any happier than 1726. Secken- 
dorf became daily a greater favourite. He gained such an 



60 MEMOIRS OF THE 



ascendancy over tlie King that he was appointed to all the 
vacant posts, and nothing was decided without his advice. 
All the King's servants were at his orders ; yet, in spite of 
the power he had over him, he did not dare endeavour to 
induce the King to consent to break through the treaty with 
England. He, therefore, contented himself with embroiling 
matters. To ingratiate himself still more, he proposed to the 
King to arrange a marriage for my second sister, and 
promised to persuade the Margrave of Anspach to come to 
Berlin and see her. The King was enchanted with this idea. 
The parties concerned were still both too young, so it was 
decided that the whole matter should be kept a profound 
secret till the marriageable age had been attained. My 
sister was very beautiful, but she was not particularly clever, 
and my mother loved her least of all her children. She was 
very violent and hot tempered. All the sorrow which she 
has since gone through has cured her of these faults, for she 
has now become so gentle that one would scarcely know her 
again. 

Soon after the arrival of this Prince* the sad news reached 
Berlin of the death of the King of England. He had left 
England for Grermany in perfect health, was seized at Osna- 
briick with another stroke, where he died in the arms of his 
brother the Duke of York. All the remedies applied proved 
of no avail. The Queen was in utter despair at his loss, and 
even the King was affected by it. He had always looked on 
him in the light of a father, having been entrusted to his 
care during the time when King Frederick I. fled to Hanover 
to escape from the persecutions of his stepmother, the Queen 
Dorothea. My father felt his death all the more, as he had 
learned that he had determined to have my marriage cele- 
brated at Hanover during this year. My uncle, the Prince 
of Wales, was now proclaimed King of Grreat Britain, 

* Margrave of Anspach. 



MARGRAVINE OF RAIREUTH. 61 

and the Duke of Grloucester assumed tlie title of Prince of 
Wales. 

I have abeady mentioned in these memoirs that my father 
had been very subject to severe nervous attacks, which the 
use of ipecacuanha had cured. It now became apparent 
that these nervous symptoms had in a great measure caused 
him to become hypochondriacal. He suffered from attacks 
of profound melancholy, during which he did nothing else 
but speak of his intention to shut himself up from the world 
and to abdicate in favour of his son.* 

In the hope that the King of England would carry out 
the treaty made with his late father, my father was most 
polite and obliging to the King, but the Queen, my aunt, 
whose character I have already described, was not favourable 
to him, besides which the Court of Yienna, which was well 
acquainted with the King, was playing the same game in 
England as at Berlin. 

The year 1728 was far more interesting than the former, 
and seemed to bring events to a climax. 

Grrumkow and Seckendorf were in great perplexity as to 
what to do about their plan. The King spoke incessantly of 
his abdication, and all the measures he took seemed to point 
towards his being in earnest about it. These two ministers 
constantly laid diO&culties in his way, to prevent his carrying 
out his intentions, telling him how deeply he would repent 
of doing so. These representations had no effect on him what- 
ever, and he became more and more bigoted in his views. 
No one dared laugh or be cheerful in his presence. Herr 
Eranke, the great devotee and founder of the Academy and 
Orphan Asylum at Halle, was constantly attacking him. 



* The following note is added in another handwriting: "The King 
never had the intention of giving up the Crown to his son, or else he would 
certainly have done so. The King was making fun of Grumkow and 
Seckendorf, and wanted merely to put them to a test." 



62 MEMOIRS OF THE 



"We lived like Trappists, to the great grief of my brother and 
myself. Every afternoon the King preached a sermon, to 
which we had to listen as attentively as if it had proceeded 
from the lips of an Apostle. My brother and I were often 
seized with such an intense sense of the ridiculous, that we 
burst out laughing, upon which an apostolic curse was poured 
out on our heads, which we had to accept with a show of 
humility and penitence. 

As all Grrumkow and Seckendorfs efforts to rouse the 
"King from his sad condition hitherto had proved useless, they 
determined to try some other means. King Augustus, of 
Poland, had lately become a party to the Austrian treaty. 
The Court at Dresden, where this King lived, was generally 
acknowledged to be one of the most brilliant in all Grermany. 
The King was courteous, generous, and civil. Grrumkow and 
Seckendorf, therefore, settled to try and induce the King — 
for more reasons than one — to make a joui^ney to Dresden, 
first of all to distract his mind by amusements of various 
kinds, in order to prevent his carrying out his wish of 
abdicating ; then to bring him into more intimate relations 
with the Saxon Court, a step which was necessary for the 
success of their plan ; and, thirdly, to attain more quickly 
the advantages the Emperor wished to reap by means of 
that Court. They succeeded in winning the King over to 
their views on political grounds. He agreed to their 
proposition, and in the middle of January started for 
Dresden from Wusterhausen. 

My brother was much put out at not being allowed to 
accompany him, and still more so at being obliged to stay at 
Potsdam during the whole of the King's absence. The 
manner in which he spoke to me about it proved how much 
he took it to heart. I comforted him to the utmost of my 
power, and told him I hoped he would in a few days be 
more contented, as I had not given up all hope that he might 
yet see his wishes realized. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 63 

The Queen, who had returned to Berlin, held a reception 
next day, at which the Saxon Envoy, M. de Suhm, was 
present. He was a very clever and distinguished man, and 
much attached to my brother and myself. As soon as I 
saw him I exclaimed, " Tour King is not very civil to have 
forgotten my brother, and to have left him to languish at 
Potsdam -whilst happiness reigns at Dresden." Suhm was 
much surprised at my speech, as he thought my brother had 
left with the King. He assured me his master would be 
only too delighted to see the Crown Prince, and that he 
would at once send off a messenger to inform him that the 
Prince was not accompanying the King. " That ^vill be an 
excellent plan," I replied ; " but you must not mention me 
or the Prince ; it must be quite your own idea." How often 
and often have I since repented of this step ; but how could 
I know beforehand that it would lead to such tragic results ? 
I loved my brother so passionately that I always tried to 
give him pleasure. Suhm managed so well that my brother 
received orders to come to Dresden. 

I have abeady mentioned that the King of Poland loved 
the pleasures of this world. He had a complete harem, and 
his excesses surpass all description. As soon as my father 
reached Dresden he was drawn into a perfect whirl of 
amusements, in which he soon lost his melancholy and piety. 
Nor was good living disregarded, and the intimacy between 
the two sovereigns ripened into friendship. Grrumkow, who 
was enchanted to see the effect produced on his master by 
the visit, encouraged the King of Poland to lead the King 
still further astray, by offering him temptations of the lowest 
description.* 

[The Margravine here mentions that not content with 



* The translator has here omitted several details in reference to the 
King of Poland, They were both coarse and unedifying, and at the same 
time without influence on the narrative. 



64 MEMOIRS OF THE 



having got hold of the King, the Ejng of Poland also tried 
to corrupt the Crown Prince, through the agency of a certain 
Countess Orselska.] 

My father left Dresden highly delighted with his visit, and 
invited the Xing of Poland to be present at the inspection of 
the Prussian troops at Berlin. 

I spent all this time most sorrowfully at Berlin. The 
Countess Amelie continued to persecute me. My mother's 
scoldings I bore with patience, but it was all I could do to 
tolerate in silence this girl's insolence ; and though I con- 
trolled myself so far as not to answer it, I did not feel it the 
less keenly ! I was nineteen years old, and therefore no 
longer a child, and was capable of deciding for myself. My 
patience was well nigh exhausted in defending myself against 
the Countess Amelie, as well as against a new favourite of my 
mother, whom I can compare only to a monster. This last 
was a maid of the Queen's, named Eamen. She was a 
widow, or rather she had, like the woman of Samaria, more 
than one husband. Her hypocritical piety, her assumed 
charity toward the poor, and the long speeches on morality 
which she hurled at everybody, had induced Madame von 
Blaspiel to recommend her to the Queen. At the time of 
my sister Amelie's birth she had known how to make herself 
most useful and pleasant to the Queen, and since that time had 
become a still greater favourite. The Countess Amelie and 
this woman both ruled my mother, but they did not hit it 
off so well with each other as they did with the Queen. They 
were rivals for her favour, but each being aware of her 
influence, they took good care not to show theu^ mutual hatred 
in the Queen's presence. I was, of course, the victim tor- 
mented by both. I thought I should go mad in consequence. 
I never failed in civility towards my two persecutors ; it was 
my principle never to forget what was due to all, even to 
my enemies. Unaffected civility is no deceit, and enemies 
are more easily won over by gentleness than by violence. 



MARGKAVINE OF BAIREIJTH. 65 

Besides, gentleness is a virtue wliicli most becomes our sex. 
I have always acted up to this precept, and I can say with 
truth that through it I have conciliated many that were not 
friendly to me. 

Shortly after the King's return from Dresden Marshal 
Count Flemming was appointed Saxon Envoy at Berhn.* 

He was a man of great worth. I had known him since mj 
childhood, and was much attached to him. The Princess 
Eadziwil, his wife, was a most amiable lady. Although I 
was not allowed to receive visits from gentlemen, Count 
Flemming' s age and his high personal character induced my 
mother to brave all gossip, and make an exception in his favour. 
He often made use of this privilege, and he and his wife, 
who was of a verj^ cheerful temperament, spent many an hour 
with me. The day before his departure, when he came to 
take leave of me, he assured me once more of his entire devo- 
tion and respect, adding : ''I hope before long to give your 
Eoyal Highness striking proofs of my attachment, and to 
make you as happy as you deserve." At that time I thought 
he referred to my English marriage, and made no reply 
beyond assuring him of my esteem. 

A few days after this we went to Potsdam. The journey 
there had always been disagreeable to me on account of the 
depressing existence we led there. This time, however,. 
I was glad to leave Berlin, knowing I should escape from 
Countess Amelie's persecutions. It was, however, of little 
use : the Queen was so irate with me and my governess that 
I was ill-used nearly the whole time. The Queen even went 
so far as to threaten to speak to the King, but knowing the 
great esteem in which he held Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld, she 
never dared to do so. In consequence of my entire sub- 



* The following note in another handwriting mentions that Count Flem- 
ming was at Berlin before the King left for Dresden, and that it was he 
who induced him to undertake this journey. 



66 ME^iorPwS or Z3z 



missLYeness and t-ie interference cf Ccimt FinkeiLstem, wlio 
did not share his ds^ngliter's * amlitions views — he did not 
even know of them — I and Mademciselle von Sonnsf eld made 

TIt Xm^' .::n:m".ied his abuse of the King of England. 
Hr lii s: openlj at the dinner table, where, in generaL 
the most confidential matters were disenssed. Seekendorf 
never left his side. The Queen conld not bear these speeches 
abofat England, and one daj plaiolj told Seekendorf what 
she thought of him. She leminded him of an occurrence 
^diich was anything bat to his credit, and that he was no 
man of honour. Se<^endorf, who wonld always have the 
last word, gave some biting answer, and this led to others. 
IN^obody took any pleasme in snch scenes, except the X in g. 
who tried to provoke a dailj repetition of them. Up to now 
Seekendorf had done all he conld to bring about a mptnre 
Tietween the Conrts of England and Prussia, but since the 
-Qneen had treated h'^" s : ill he deteimined on another plan, 
which was mnch more :. 1" n-:::-^"^ to the Emperor, and 
wMch, as I shall afterwai 1- -_ ; ~. I-t.^tIv caused onr complete 



Mv orrtlrr had ceen in a most dejected stare ever suic-e 
his ret^irn ir::n I'rTsien. All mv endeavours to rouse him. 
were in ~;.:n, :nl ~'_tI. I :.^hed him what was the matter he 
said it ^■,' :Lt Lt^v.!: :: '_i^ fathers unkind treatment of him. 
The Qv.ttL. :: : '.:.". LtI ':r^: to cheer him. but without avail 
He gir" :_innT: and thinner by degrees, would not eat, 
while thr -::ni:an: tainting fits he had made all fear he was 
gorag into a consumption. The King, who was iof ormed of 
the Prince's condition, sent him his Surgeon-Greneral, Hol- 
zendorf, who reported the Prince to he so seriously ill that, 
nnless energetic measures were adopted, he would certainly 
become consumptive. This account made the King very 

* The Countess AnK^lie. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 67 

anxious, for he had naturally a good heart, and in spite of 
the dislike which Grrumkow had fostered in his mind against 
his son, the voice of nature made itself heard, and he regretted 
having treated him so unkindly. 

No one knew what was really the matter with the Prince. 
He was merely love-sick, as will be seen later on. Many 
well-intentioned persons advised the King to marry his son, 
but this advice produced not the slightest effect. The near 
arrival of the King of Poland seemed to restore the Prince to 
health. He hoped to renew his acquaintance with Countess 
Orselska, whom he had seen at Dresden, and with whom 
he was much in love, for she was to accompany the 
King. Although my brother and I had few secrets 
from one another, he had not confided anything of this 
to me, for he knew my views about most things, and 
took care not to mention anything to me of which I should 
disapprove. 

We returned to Berlin at the end of May, and on our 
arrival the Queen found letters awaiting her, informing her 
of the Prince of Wales's intention of coming incognito to 
Berlin. He thought he should, thanks to the commotion 
and confusion caused by the King of Poland's presence, be 
able to see me. The Queen was delighted at the visit, and 
immediately told me of it. The news caused me less satis- 
faction, as I did not care at all about this marriage. 
Ambition was not one of my qualities, and I was quite 
certain that the English Court would not suit me. 

The King of Poland arrived on the 29th of May, and 
immediately waited on the Queen. He was fifty years old 
at that time, had a majestic presence, and manners that be- 
tokened kindness and civility. His very irregular life had 
injured his health, and he was suffering from lameness, and 
could not stand long. The Queen sat herself down with him 
on " tabourets," and the King and the rest of us stood round 
them in spite of the King of Poland's repeatedly asking us 

F 2 



68 MEMOIES or THE 



to be seated. He looked at me very attentivelv, praised our 
familj, and made some amiable speech about each one of us. 
After an hour he took his leave, the Queen accompaming 
hivn bejond her audience chamber. The Crown Prince of 
Poland then came to pa j his respects to m j mother. He was 
tall and strong, with a handsome face. His manner was 
not so courteous as his father's. He looked proud and 
spoke little, and was not much to be praised for his ciyility. 
Since he has ascended the throne, people speak very well of 
him, much good is said of him, and his work has made one 
forget what is unpleasant in his manner. His visit to my 
mother was a short one. We spent our evening in our 
accustomed solitude, the King of Poland and his son each 
dining in his own room. 

On the following morning we all assembled in the State 
rooms of the Castle. The two Kings soon afterwards joined 
us there, the King of Poland accompanied by three hundred 
nobles of his Court. They were presented to the Queen and 
afterwards to me. Among them was Prince Johann Adolf 
of TVeissenfels, Lieutenant- Greneral of Saxony. Although 
I did not converse for long with these gentlemen, I have 
remembered their names, however barbaric some of them 
sounded. There was a State dinner. The King of Poland 
and my mother sat in the middle, my father next to his 
Eoyal guest, then the Crown Prince and all the Saxon 
and Prussian Princes, as many as there were present, I 
sat on the other side of my mother. Then came my eldest 
sister, and next her all the other princesses. After dinner 
all returned to their rooms, and in the evening my mother 
held a reception, at which also were present the Countesses 
Orselska and Bilinska. 

The Poles that were received by my mother were much 
surprised at my knowing and addressing them by their names. 
It flattered them so much that they said out loud that I 
must " become their Queen." Coimt Flemminsr, whom I 



MAllGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 69 

have mentioned before, was not present : he died soon after 
leaving Berlin on his way to Yienna. 

Balls and festivities succeeded each other without inter- 
mission during the King of Poland's visit, but on account of 
my father's jealousy at our taking part in them I had but 
little enjoyment from them. The Prince of Weissenfels 
seemed to take much notice of me, but I took all his assiduity 
merely as a mark of civility, and never for one moment 
thought that his attentions meant anything more. 

The day before the King of Poland's departure the two 
Kings dined at Charlottenburg, where we had been staying 
the last few days. After dinner they went to the Queen's 
rooms, and the King of Poland proposed playing a game at 
Ombre, in which I had the third hand. L)uring the whole of 
the game the King payed me endless compliments, all of 
which I set down to the good wine he had had at dinner. 
He tried hard to make me win a hundred ducats, which 
would have been very useful to me, as I did not possess a 
penny, and was in consequence never able to give any little 
pleasm-e to my friends. The game did not last long ; the 
King of Poland soon afterwards took his leave, and he left 
that same night with his suite for Dresden. 

The King soon afterwards went to Prussia,* the Crown 
Prince remaining at Potsdam, with permission to visit the 
Queen twice a week. Countess Orselska, to whom he had 
paid secret visits, had quite cured him of his melancholy. 
During the King's absence the time passed most pleasantly ; 
the presence of many foreigners made our Court very brilliant, 
and the King of Poland sent the best performers in his private 



* Prussia was at that time still a distinct province under Polish jurisdiction, 
though it had been united to Brandenburg in 1618. In 1773, Frederick the 
Great assumed the title of King of Prussia in Germany, and united the 
Electorate of Brandenburg and his other provinces into one kingdom called 
Prussia. Before that time the kings of Prussia held only the rank of 
Electors of Brandenburg in the German Empire. {Note hj Translator.) 



70 MEMOIRS OF THE 



band to be heard by the Queen. During this period, we 
became aware that my father had been on the point of en- 
gaging me to the King of Poland. Count Flemming had 
opened the negotiations during his stay in Berlin, and on the 
King's return to Dresden, these were nearly concluded, when 
the Crown Prince opposed the marriage. It would have been 
an advantageous alliance for both sovereigns. My father 
was to lend the King of Poland three million thalers,* a 
handsome sum was to be settled on me, on the occasion of 
my marriage, in return for which Poland guaranteed the 
possession of the Lausitz for twenty years, on a mortgage, 
with the administration of its revenues, and my dowry was 
also to be charged to this Province. To prevent any 
difficulties in respect to my religion I was always to remain 
at Dresden. This brilliant project fell through, as the 
Crown Prince refused to sign the articles. 

The Queen was very glad of this. She continued to 
intrigue with the Envoys of England and Erance. The 
King was aware of all that was going on. That wretched 
maid Pamen, from whom my mother could keep nothing 
secret, kept him well informed, and employed his valet 
Eversmann and his Court surgeon Holzendorf for that pur- 
pose. My brother, the Queen's ladies and I, all knew 
this maid's intrigues, but she stood so high in my mother's 
favour that none of us dared expose her. T even remember 
that the Erench Envoy several times expressed his surprise 
to me that most secret matters confided to him by the Queen 
were at once known in Crumkow's house. I answered 
him that I knew of nothing, and was very glad when 
I did not hear of things which did not concern me. "I 
shall never say anything to the Queen for the future," 
the Envoy continued, " but shall entrust all to your Eoval 
Highness, which will be far better." I entreated him to 

* £450,000. 



MARGRATINE OF BAIREUTH. 71 

spare me, adding that it was already Tinpleasant enough for 
me when the Queen did confide anything to me. "I have 
abeady told you," I continued, " that I wish to remain in 
ignorance of all these affairs." ''And yet," he answered, 
"they concern your happiness and that of a whole nation." 
" I am quite ready to believe this," was my reply, " but at 
present I have not troubled myself about the future. My 
ambition is not great, and I have my own views on this 
subject, which no doubt difi'er much from those which others 
have formed." 

The King was extremely annoyed at these cabals. Grum- 
kow and Seckendorf's plan was not yet ripe, and they 
delayed its execution and altered its whole character. 
Shortly after the King's return, we left Berlin for Wuster- 
hausen, and had been there only a few days when he shut 
himself up with my mother. We were left meanwhile in the 
adjoining room. We soon heard a violent altercation. The 
King was speaking in very loud tones, and we heard my mother 
crying. This agitated me terribly, as I did not understand 
what it all meant. After an hour and three-quarters had 
elapsed, the King suddenly passed through the room in 
which we were with such a furious expression on his face 
that I quite trembled. The Queen at once sent for me. I 
found her crying bitterly. She embraced me tenderly, 
saying : " All is lost ! You are to be married — I am sure 
you have no idea to whom." I was struck dumb, and when 
I was at last able to answer her, said I feared it would be no 
happy provision for me, seeing it caused her so much sorrow. 
*' No, indeed, it is not," she answered, " the King intends 
giving you in marriage to the Prince of Weissenfels." My 
surprise was intense. 

This Prince's position was dependent on an annuity paid 
him by his family, and he was so badly off that he could 
scarcely live as his rank required. I at first said to the 
Queen that I thought my father had wished only to frighten: 



72 MEMOIES OF THE 



her by saying this ; that he could not really mean it. '' But 
what mil you say when I tell you he is coming here," 
my mother answered, " and that your betrothal is to be 
solemnized ? Be firm ; I will support you. Come what 
may, my consent shall never be given to this marriage." I 
promised her I would resist it as long as it was possible. 

The very same day we received letters from Berlin con- 
fii'niing this unpleasant news. I was terribly uj^set and 
agitated, because I foresaw what a disturbance it would cause 
in the family, and that the whole violence of my father's 
anger would fall on me. ^y brother and I talked all day 
long about this miserable business. He encouraged me, and 
tried in every possible manner to calm me. 

The King ill-used my brother more and more : nobody 
dared speak to him, for fear of exciting my father's suspicion. 
Though he still had his governors, they were no longer 
allowed to accompany him, in consec[uence of which my 
brother led a very dissolute life. Xot having anyone to turn 
to, he was helped in many of his adventures by Keith, one 
of the King's pages, who soon became inseparable from him. 
Keith was intelligent, but without education. He served my 
brother from feelings of real devotion, and kept him informed 
of all the l\jng's actions, with whom he was in great favoui\ 
We were unaware of my brother's artifices ; and though I 
had noticed that he was on more familiar terms with this 
page than was proper in his position, I did not know how 
intimate the friendship was. In answer to my remarks on 
the subject, he said that this young man had been the means 
of saving him much ill-usage at his father's hands, as he told 
him everything the King said of him. I mentioned nothing 
of all this to the Queen, for I was anxious that my brother 
should be saved all annoyance, and was afraid of her dis- 
pleasure, which was often earned too far. 

I must now return to the Prince of Weissenfels. Ho 
arrived at Wusterhausen on Sept. 27th. During the first 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTII. 73 

day I did not see him, but the King came to my mother and 
desired her to send to Berlin for her own jewels as well as 
mine. He wished me to be decked out with them in honour 
of my betrothal, which he intended to be solemnized. The 
Queen refused to do as he bade her, and told me that she 
would rather die than give her consent to this marriage. 
The next day being Michaelmas Day we went to Church, 
and during the whole of the service the Duke never took his 
eyes off me. I was in a great state of agitation. Ever since 
this subject had been mooted I had had no peace night nor 
day, and was prepared for the very worst. After church the 
Duke was presented to the Queen, who turned her back on 
him without a single word. I had managed to slip away 
imseen, in order to avoid his speaking to me. The Queen, 
who had several confidential friends with her at Weister- 
hausen, determined to let the Prince of Weissenf els know that 
if he continued to press his suit, she would have him publicly 
insulted, and that she would be the first to set the example. 
She added that neither she nor I would ever consent to the 
marriage, and that she therefore advised him to avoid all 
scandal by making an honourable retreat. In spite of the 
dislike I always had for this Prince, I must do him justice, 
for though narrow-minded, he was most upright, and would 
never have taken this whim into his head had it not been put 
there by others. He made up his mind at once, and wrote 
to the King, that, whilst knowing how to appreciate the 
great honour he had done him in choosing him for his son-in- 
law, he confessed himself unworthy of it. That however 
great his happiness would have been to have possessed me 
for his wife, he would rather sacrifice it than marry me 
against my will. He therefore entreated the King to leave 
me perfect liberty, and not to force my inclinations. 

The King had no sooner received this letter, than he took 
it to the Queen, and the quarrel began afresh. The Queen's 
tears and entreaties resulted in her obtaining a delay, " but 



74 MEMOIRS OF THE 



only on condition," the King said, " that you write to the 
Queen of England and insist on her declaring positively what 
her intentions are with respect to the marriage of my daughter 
with the Prince of Wales. If the answer meets my appro- 
bation, I give up all thoughts of any other marriage for her. 
But if England continues to allure me with fine words, and 
nothing more, I will break off all negotiations, and shall give 
her in marriage to whomsoever it pleases me." 

The Queen assured him that she was ready to write at once 
to England, and did not doubt for a moment but that she 
would receive a satisfactory answer. " We shall see," the 
King replied; "but be sure of this, that if I do not receive the 
answer I require, you can hope for no more mercy for your 
daughter, and as regards your worthless son," he continued, 
meaning my brother, " you need not expect me to think of 
marrying him. I will not have a daughter-in-law who carries 
her nose in the air, and fills my Court with intrigues, as 
others are already doing. Your Master Fritz shall sooner get 
a flogging at my hands, than I will look out for a marriage 
for him." Happily my brother was not present, for the 
King now poured forth a perfect flood of abuse. 

The conversation at last came to an end. My mother 
having well considered the step she was about to take, began 
to be less confident as to its ultimate success. She would 
not, however, own it to herself, and said to me, " I shall not 
give up ho]3e, and trust all will be well." I told her I 
doubted it, because I was sure the King of England would 
not consent to my marriage without my brother's being 
settled too ; and my father would not be satisfied unless 
he received exactly the answer he wished. The result of 
this would be fresh storms and scenes, which she would be 
unable to prevent. My mother w^as inclined to be angry at 
this remark, for she replied : " You already give up hope : 
well then, marry your fat Johann Adolph, and be sm-e that 
my curse will rest on you." I assured her that I was too 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREITTH. 75 

well aware what was best for my own advantage not to know 
all the evils of this marriage, and that I should do everything 
in my power to prevent its taking place. This seemed to 
calm her; but I did not dare say anything more on the 
subject or explain my views to her, as I saw that my doing 
so annoyed her. The Queen, however, thought much over 
the whole question, and afterwards said to me, *' I have 
thought of a means which cannot fail to help us in attaining 
the end we have in view. My son must assist us. He too 
must write to the Queen of England, and promise her 
solemnly, on condition that she consents to your marriage, to 
marry no one but her daughter, the Princess Amelia.'^ 
I was allowed to make no remark to this ; and my brother, 
who came into the room just at that moment, at once con- 
sented. He ardently wished to marry an English princess, 
in order to have support and protection from further ill- 
treatment. He at once wrote this luckless letter, which the 
Queen sent off secretly. 

My position was a very sad one. The Prince of Wales 
was indifferent to me — indeed I disliked him, and it was my 
mother's fault that I did so, for she had given me most 
unfavourable descriptions of him. " He is a good-natured 
Prince," she sometimes said to me, "kind-hearted, but very 
foolish. If you have sense enough to tolerate his mistresses, 
you will be able to do what you like with him." 

Such a man would have suited my mother, for she loved 
to rule, but as I did not care about this, I was in a very 
different position. My ideas of marriage were very different. 
I wished to marry a Prince for whom I could entertain a 
real respect, and to whom I could look up as to a true friend. 
I wished that our mutual love and esteem should guide all 
our actions. My desire to please him in everything would 
result from these feelings. The notion of duty excludes a 
wife's feelings of friendship for her husband. Where real 
love exists nothing becomes difficult or hard when it is done 



76 



MEMOIES OF THE 



to please the object we care for. I can now say tliis from 
personal experience, for Providence granted what I 
desired. But I must return again to the subject I was 
writing about. I had a horror of this Duke of Weissenfels : 
my father and mother did not agree on this' point. The one 
had the power on his side and the other common sense. 
What was I to do in such a difficult position ? When I 
thought over it all, I was ready to despaii^ for whichever 
way I turned I felt I should be the victim of one or the 
other. The Duke, however, took his departiuT, and we were 
left somewhat in peace. 

I must mention a little occmTence which greatly irritated 
our persecutors. G-rumkow had a beautiful house at Berlin, 
bought for him by the King. He begged the Queen to 
give him her portrait, which was to be one of the chief 
ornaments of his house. The Queen promised to do so. 
She had lately had herself painted for the King of Denmark, 
and as the picture was not quite finished, she ordered a copy 
of it to be made for Grumkow, whilst the original was to be 
given to the Sovereign. Grrumkow came one day to thank 
the Queen for her present, and talked much of the beauty of 
the painting, and of its being one of the best portraits that 
the artist had ever executed. The Queen said in a whisper 
to me, " I do hope that there has been no mistake, and that 
he has not got the original instead of the copy," and she 
asked him straight out about it. He answered her that as he 
had an original portrait of the King, he had thought it but 
fail' to have the same of her, and that consequently he had 
asked the artist to give him the original. " And who gave 
you this permission ? " the Queen enquu-ed, *' I have never 
honom-ed any private person with such a present, and I do 
not intend to make an exception in your favoui\" The 
King prevented Grumkow from replying by leaving the 
table, but Grumkow followed the Queen, entreating her to let 
him keep the pictm-e. Her very cui-t refusal resulted in 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 77 

some sliarp answers, upon wliicli, to put an end to the con- 
versation, the Queen withdrew. 

As soon as the King had gone out shooting, which he did 
daily, my mother sent for Count Finkenstein, to whom she 
told the whole story. 

Count Finkenstein was Grrumkow's sworn enemy, and was 
delighted at having an opportunity of playing him a trick. 
He, therefore, advised the Queen to make a still greater fuss 
about the whole business, to send several of her servants and 
demand to have the picture back, at the same time saying that 
Grrumkow should not even have a copy till he had learned to 
behave himself towards her with more respect. I was present 
at this conversation, of which I greatly disapproved, and which 
I thought very ^Tong. Next day the Queen carried out the 
advice given her by Count Finkenstein. Grrumkow sent her 
word that he possessed so many interesting portraits of far 
greater princes and princesses, that these would comfort him 
for the loss of hers. 

Soon after this we returned to Berlin. My mother had 
constant interviews with the English Envoy, M. de Bourguait. 
Four weeks had already elapsed since she had written 
to the Queen of England, and, in spite of her assumed con- 
fidence as to the expected answer, she was terribly anxious. 
Grrumkow was greatly embittered against her. Neither he 
nor his family went near her, and he spoke of her in the most 
insolent terms. He went so far as to write to the King and 
insist on personal satisfaction being given him for the insult, 
as he called it, which the Queen had offered him. I do not 
know what good spirit ruled my father at this moment, but 
Grumkow received no answer to his many complaints. 
Several people tried to put in a good word for him with the 
Queen. He himself even offered her apologies, a step which 
he made the King believe was greatly to his credit. 

At last the long-expected answer from England arrived. 
The Queen of England wrote that both she and her husband 



78 MSMOTBS OF 



were mueli inelined to strengthen tlie bands wkLc-K nnited 
the families by a double maniage, bnt that this conld not be 
definitelj settled till Parlianient had been consalted- Tlie 

Queen at the same tune received a private letter, encouraging 
her to remaio. firm, and containing many otiier snggestions. 
which were of httle nse to ns ia onr present position. A 
letter to mj brother was written in. mnch the same strain. 
No Medusa's head ever had such an effec-t on anyone as these 
letters had on my m.other ! She trembled to show them to 
the Eng. and had nearly determined to suppress them and 
to write a second time to England- M. de Bonrgnait, 
when he came to see her, informed her that he had received 
mnch the same messages for the King. My mother then 
spoke quite openly to him about the matter, and said that if 
England behaved in this manner she could no longer answer 
for what might happen. She was prepared for endless 
troubles and persecutions on the King s return, and that 
unle^ she were speedily helped, everything would be lost. 
M- de Bonrgaait endeavomied to paci^ and calm her as mnch 
as he was able. 

A few days afterwards the King arrived. His first ques- 
tion was, what was the reply from England. *' Here it is,'' 
the Qneen rephed with the greatest c-omposnre ; " I hope 
you will be satisfied with it." " Satisfied,'' he cried, after 
having read it, " how can I be satisfied when they are again 
trying to deceive me?" and with this he left the room 
without another word. Immediately afterwards he had a 
long conversation with Grrumkow, and when he returned 
to us we could observe nothing, and he treated us most 
kindly. The Queen was greatly relieved. Xot I, however ; 
for I knew the King too well, and that if he was driven to 
dissemble he was far worse even than during his violent 
fits of passion. He did not remain long at Berlin, but soon 
returned to Potsdam. 

A new epoch began with the year 1729. M. de Lamotte, 



MAKGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 79 

an oJ0&cer in the Hanoverian service, and a near relation 
of Yon Sastot, one of my motlier's chamberlains, came to 
Berlin. He suddenly arrived at Sastot's, qnite secretly, one 
day. "I am the bearer of a most important confidential 
message," he said. '^ You must hide me somewhere in your 
house that my arrival may remain unknown, and you must 
manage that one of my letters reaches the King." Sastot 
promised him all he asked, and then enquired if his business 
were good or evil. " It will be good if people can hold 
their tongues, but if they gossip it will be evil. However, 
as I know you are discreet, and as I require your help in 
obtaining an interview with the Queen, I must confide all to 
you. The Prince of Wales intends being here in three 
weeks at the latest. He means to escape secretly from 
Hanover, brave his father's anger, and marry the Princess. 
He has entrusted me with the whole affair, and has sent me 
here to find out if his arrival would be agreeable to the King 
and Queen, and if they are still anxious for this marriage. 
If she is capable of keeping a secret, and has no suspicious 
people about her, will you undertake to speak to the Queen 
on the subject ? Yet before doing so, and in order to 
run no risk, you had better first consult with Mademoiselle von 
Sonnsfeld, of whose discretion I am sure. She will be your 
guide." 

That very same evening Sastot appeared as usual in the 
Queen's apartments, who was not holding receptions. He 
called Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld on one side and told her all 
that had passed between him and Lamotte, and added that he 
had not been able to speak unreservedly with him about the 
affair, as he was afraid of telling this good news to the 
Queen, because he knew quite well that she would at once 
confide it all to that wretched Pamen, who would imme- 
diately communicate it to Seckendorf .and his creatures. 

Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld was much perturbed, but after 
having well considered the question, decided that Sastot should 



80 MEMOIRS OF THE 



speak with tHe Queen. The Joy this news caused her is easily 
to he imagined. She at once communicated them to Countess. 
Finkenstein, and my Lady-in-waiting,* who both implored 
her to keep them secret. I was just then very ill. I had 
had a bad fainting fit, followed by violent fever, which 
confined me to my bed. The Queen desired Mademoiselle von 
Sonnsfeld to prepare me by degrees for this happy event of 
which she then wished to speak to me herself. 

The next morning Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld came to 
drink her tea by my bedside. " I cannot think what has 
come to Sastot," she said, " he dances about, sings, and is 
full of nonsense, and says it is all because he is so delighted 
at some good news he has heard, which he will, however, tell 
nobody." " Perhaps he has taken too much," I said, " and 
this makes him so merry." 

" Oh ! no," she replied, " he declares the good news 
concerns you ! " 

" Grood Grod," I cried, " what good news can I expect in 
the position in which I am placed, and how can Sastot have 
anything to do with it ? " 

''But," continued Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld, "supposing 
he had received the news direct from the Prince of Wales 
himself ? " 

" "Well ! would that be such great happiness ?" 

" Your Poyal Highness is very sinful," she replied, "and you 
will be punished for it, if you so despise a Prince who risks 
everything for your sake. What do you want ? Do you 
wish to fade and pine away, or do you wish to marry that 
delightful Prince of Weissenfels ? " 

Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld would have endured anything 
that this marriage might be accomplished ; it was the only 
point on which we differed, and we had often had argu- 
ments on the subject. I now laughed at her speech, 

* Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 81 

witlioiit taking much heed of it. I thought that the 
Prince of Wales had most probably given an assurance 
similar to that which my brother had given the Queen of 
England, and that this had caused Sastot's high spirits. 
When, however, the Queen herself came to me with this 
pleasant piece of news, I felt in a very different mood. I 
remained dumb, and could not utter a word. My mother 
thought it the result of my satisfaction at the news. " I 
shall at length see you happy and my wishes realized at the 
same time — how much joy at once ! " T kissed her hands, 
which I covered with tears. " You are crying," she ex- 
claimed, " what is the matter ? " I would not disturb her 
happiness, so I answered, " The thought of leaving jou 
distresses me more than all the crowns of the world could 
delight me." The Queen was only the more tender towards 
me in consequence, and then left me. I loved this dear 
mother truly, and had only spoken the truth to her. She 
left me in a terrible state of mind. I was cruelly torn 
between my affection for her and my repugnance to the 
Prince of Wales; but I determined to leave all to Provi- 
dence, who would direct my ways. 

That same evening the Queen held a reception. As bad 
luck would have it, the English Envoy came to it and began 
at once to tell her all the news he had received from his 
Court. The conversation grew livelier and livelier, and, 
without reflecting on the consequences, the Queen confided to 
him the whole of the Prince of Wales's project. M. de 
Bourguait, with intense surprise, asked her if it were all 
true. " Certainly," she replied, " and to show you how true 
it is, he has sent Lamotte here, who has already informed the 
King of everything." 

" Oh ! why does your Majesty tell me this? I am wretched, 
for I must prevent it." Creatly frightened, my mother asked 
him why he must do so. " Because I am my Sovereign's 
Envoy; because my office requires of me that I should 



82 MEMOIKS OF THE 



inform him of so important a matter. I shall send off a 
messenger to England this very evening. Would to Grod I 
had known nothing of all this ! " The Queen's prayers and 
entreaties were all of no avail, for he left her, to despatch the 
messenger. My mother's consternation was indescribable ! 
She was in utter despair. Countess Finkenstein came the 
next morning and told me all that had happened. The only 
means we had in our power of preventing greater misfortune 
was to endeavour to keep it all from the King. At the end of a 
week, the King came to Berlin to receive the Prince of Wales. 
He had had a secret interview with Lamotte, after which 
the long ardently desired arrival of the Prince was daily 
expected. But this joy was doomed to be turned to sorrow. 
A cornier brought the news that at the express command of 
his father, the Prince of Wales had suddenly left Hanover 
for England. This news fell on the King and Queen like a 
thunderbolt. 

But it is time that I should now unravel this myster3\ 
The English nation were most anxious for the Prince of 
Wales's presence in England, and had incessantly begged 
the King to grant it. The King, on the other hand, did not 
feel at all inclined to do so, as he feared he might suffer in 
personal consideration, and that the Prince's arrival in 
England would raise an opposition against him, which might 
lead to disturbances. In order to have some plausible reason 
against his presence in England, the King had himself 
wTitten to the Prince, suggesting his going to Berlin and 
marrjdng me. This step he intended to use afterwards to 
bring about a rupture with the Prince, by which means he 
could keep him several years longer at Hanover. The 
Prince, who ardently desired the alliance with me, was only 
too delighted to obey his father's wishes. The sudden 
arrival of Bourguait's messenger spoilt everj^thing. This 
messenger was sent to the Secretary of State. Nothing 
remained to the King, who was anxious that no suspicion 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 83 

should be aroused in England, but to desire the Prince to 
return. Poor Lamotte became the innocent victim of all 
this. He had to spend two years in the fortress of Hameln, and 
was obliged to leave the Hanoverian service. He afterwards 
entered the Prussian army, where he still commands a 
regiment. 

My father was greatly incensed at again finding himself 
duped by England. He returned to Potsdam soon after this 
affair was settled, and we shortly followed him. 

Immediately after our arrival my father had a violent 
attack of gout, which troubled him for some time. This 
illness, added to his displeasure at his disappointed hopes, 
made his temper unbearable. I was called nothing else by 
him but the "English canaiUe,^^ and he ill-treated me and my 
brother in a shocking manner. "We were not allowed to 
leave him for one single moment during the whole day. 
"We took all our meals near his bedside, and to torment us 
still more he let us have only those things to eat for which 
we had an absolute dislike. But, good or bad, we were 
obliged to swallow them down, and run the risk of being ill 
for the rest of the day. Not a single day passed without 
some unfortunate occurrence, and we could not lift up our 
eyes without beholding some unhappy being who was being 
tormented. The King was of too impatient a nature to 
remain long in bed, so he sat in an armchair in which he had 
himself wheeled about the castle. He held a crutch in each 
hand to support himself, and we followed this triumphal car 
like wretched prisoners expecting their sentence. 

On one occasion, when his temper was more than usually 
bad, he told the Queen that he had received letters from 
Anspach, in which the Margrave announced his arrival at 
Berlin for the beginning of May. He was coming there 
for the purpose of marrying my sister, and one of his 
ministers would arrive previously with the betrothal ring. 
My father asked my sister whether she were pleased at this 

G 2 



84 MEMOIRS OF THE 



prospect, and how slie would arrange lier liousehold. Now 
my sister had always made a point of telling him whatever 
came into her head, even the greatest home-truths, and he 
had never taken her outspokenness amiss. On this occasion, 
therefore, relying on former experience, she answered him as 
follows : " When I have a house of my own I shall take care 
to have a well-appointed dinner table, better than yours is, 
and if I have children of my own I shall not plague them 
as you do yours, and force them to eat things they thoroughly 
dishke!" 

"What is amiss with my dinner-table ?" the King enquired, 
getting very red in the face. " You ask what is the matter 
with it," my sister replied, " there is not enough on it for us 
to eat, and what there is is cabbage and carrots, which we 
detest." Her first answer had abeady angered my father, 
but now he gave vent to his fury. But instead of punishing 
my sister he poured it all on my mother, my brother, and 
myself. To begin with he threw his plate at my brother's 
head, who would have been struck had he not got out of the 
way; a second one he threw at me, which I also happily 
escaped ; then torrents of abuse followed these first signs of 
hostility. He reproached the Queen with having brought 
up her children so badly. " You will curse your mother," 
he said to my brother, " for having made you such a good- 
for-nothing creature. A man was once condemned to death 
in Carthage for various crimes," he continued, " and as he 
was being led to the place of execution, he asked to be 
allowed to speak to his mother. Whilst pretending to 
whisper to her, he bit a piece out of her ear, saying at tlie 
same time, ' I treat you like this, that you may serve as an 
example to all mothers that do not bring up their children 
virtuously.' You can do the same," my father continued, 
still addressing himself to my brother, and with this remai'k 
he let himself be wheeled away in his chair. As my brother 
and I passed near him to leave the room, he hit out at us 



INIARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 85 

witli his crutch. Happily we escaped the blow, for it would 
certainly have struck us down, and we at last escaped without 
harm from the room. I had been so upset by this scene, that 
I trembled all over, and was obliged to sit down to avoid 
fainting. My mother, who came after us, comforted us as 
best she could, and endeavoured to persuade us to return to 
the King. We were, however, not the least inclined to do 
this. The scene with the plates and the crutch had frightened 
us too much. At length we were obliged to do so, and we 
found the King conversing quietly with his officers. 

I felt quite ill nevertheless, and fainted away in the Queen's 
room. My mother's maid exclaimed, on seeing me, " Grood 
gracious, your Eoyal Highness, what is the matter, you look 
dreadful ! " I looked in the glass, and saw that my face and 
neck were covered with red spots. I told her I had been very 
much agitated, and that this was the result. I fainted again 
several times. The red spots disappeared as soon as I was in 
the cold air, appearing again in the heat of the room. I was 
obliged to keep about as best I could, as I was unable to get 
to bed. That night I was attacked by violent fever, which 
left me so weak next morning that I was obliged to ask my 
mother to excuse me from coming to her. She sent me 
word that dead or alive I must go to her. I then sent 
word that I had a rash which made it impossible. She 
however, repeated her command, and I was carried into her 
room, where I went from one fainting fit into another. In 
this condition I was dragged to the King. My sister, 
seeing that I was ready to give up the ghost, said to the King, 
" I beseech you, dear father, let my sister return to her room, 
she has fever, and cannot even stand. The King asked me 
if this were true. " You look very ill," he said " but I will 
cure you," and he forced me to drink a whole goblet full of 
very strong, old Ehine wine. My rash had gone in, and I 
was fighting T\ath death. I had no sooner drunk the wine 
than I began to be delirious, and begged my mother to have 



86 MEMOIRS OF THE 



me taken to my room. This she granted on coEclition that I 
would leave it again in the evening. 

I laid myself down without taking off my head dress, but 
no sooner was I in bed than the violence of the fever 
deprived me of my reason. The doctor who was called in 
pronounced me to be suffering from an inflammatory fever, 
and gave me three remedies not at all suitable to my present 
illness. From time to time I recovered consciousness, and 
then I prayed that Grod would take me to Himself. Amidst 
bitter tears I said to Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld, "the many 
sufferings I have been through have made me indifferent to 
this world, and now Providence will grant me the highest 
bliss. I am the cause of all my mother and brother's sorrows ; 
my death will put an end to these. If I die, promise me to 
say two things in my name to the King, first that I beg he 
will restore me his affections, and secondly, implore him 
to be kinder towards my mother and my brother." I lay for 
thirty-six hours between life and death, and at last small-pox 
declared itself. 

The King had never once inquired after me, since the com- 
mencement of my illness. As soon, however, as he heard the 
nature of my complaint, he sent his Court Surgeon to find out 
if I really had small-pox. This rude j)ersonage said many 
unkind things to me in the King's name, besides being most 
repulsive in his own behaviour. At any other time this 
would have provoked my anger, but I was now far too ill to 
notice his insolence. Upon the doctor's confirming the state- 
ment that I had the small-pox, I was put into quarantine. 
All communication with my rooms was cut off, and nobody 
about the King and Queen was allowed to come near me. I 
felt that I was being treated like a plague-stricken creatui-e. 
My governess and my maid were the only attendants I had. 
Though I lay in an icy cold room, deserted by the whole 
world, I had the comfort of my brother's visits. He had had 
the small-pox, and came daily to spend with me what spare 



MARGRAVINE OF BATREUTH. 



time lie had. The Queen sent incessantly to enquire after 
me, but was not allowed to see me. For nine days I 
was as ill as I could be. All the symptoms seemed to point 
towards a fatal termination, and those who saw me thought I 
should be marked for life. I escaped death, however, and not 
a trace remained of this fearful malady. 

Meanwhile M. von Bremer, who had been sent by the Mar- 
grave of Anspach, arrived at Berlin. My sister's betrothal 
by proxy then took place, the ceremony being of the simplest 
description. The King had got rid of his gout and of his 
bad temper, preserving the latter towards me alone. That 
charming Holzendorf* never entered my room without 
bringing me some disagreeable message from him. This 
bad man was in the very highest favour, and everybody 
bowed before him. He used his advantages, however, to do 
as much harm as he could, particularly to the Queen, my 
brother, and myself. He was Seckendorf's creature, and 
that says volumes. 

My father was now kinder towards my brother, but 
merely because he thought it politic to be so^ and because 
Grumkow, into whose hands he had completely fallen, advised 
him to be so. Count Finkenstein and Colonel Kalkstein 
were in Crumkow's way, and prevented his carrying 
out his plans. They were, therefore, to be got rid of 
under the pretext that my brother no longer required 
governors. He persuaded the King to agree to their dis- 
charge, and succeeded. The two governors were dismissed in 
an honourable manner, both of them receiving a good pension 
for their services. They were replaced by two officers who 
had not the slightest power over my brother. The one was 
Colonel Eochow, the other M. von Kaiserling. The former, 
as will be seen in the course of these memoirs, was no genius, 
and the other, while exceedingly clever, had no religion of 



The King's Court Surgeon. 



88 MEMOIRS OF THE 



any kind. He had read a great deal, and boasted of being 
somewhat of a poet. It will be easily understood that my 
brother infinitely preferred Kaiserling to Rochow. The 
former's love of science and learning made him a very agree- 
able companion. They had not long been together before 
the conversation turned on religious subjects. Kaiserling 
raised doubts in my brother's mind. These doubts were, as 
I shall hereafter show, indelibly strengthened by another 
person. 

My brother came to me every day, and we occupied our- 
selves in reading and writing. I remember well how we read 
Scarron's comic novel, and made satires from it applicable to 
the King's entourage. . We called Grrumkow La Rancune; the 
Margrave of Schwedt, who had reappeared with his preten- 
sions, Saldague ; Seckendorf , La Eapiniere. We did not even 
spare the King, but I must not say which part we assigned 
to him. We showed our performance to the Queen, who 
was greatly amused at it. I fear we deserved a severe 
reprimand. Children ought never to lose sight of the respect 
and honour they owe their parents. I have reproached 
myself a thousand times since, for acting so much against 
this precept. Our youth, and the approval our efforts at 
authorship met with, must to some extent be our excuse. 

Madame de Bouvillon was not forgotten in our satirical 
novel; we gave her name to the Queen's Mistress of the 
Robes, whom we thought she resembled. We often joked in 
her presence about it, so that she became curious to know 
who this Madame de Bouvillon was. I told her that the 
Queen of Spain's " Camerera Majors " were called so, and they 
all had to be of this family. Six weeks after this, at one of 
the Queen's receptions, the conversation turned on the Spanish 
Court, and my mother's Mistress of Robes thought she could 
not do better than show the world how much she knew about 
it than by saying that all " Camerera Majors " were of the 
family of Bouvillon. Everybody laughed, and she found 



MARGKAYI^^E OF BAIREUTH. 89 

out that she had been taken in. After enquiring f lu-ther, and 
being made acquainted with the story of the heroine to whom 
I had given the rank of " Camerera Major," she perceived 
at once that I had made fun of her, and was so ex- 
tremely angry that I had the greatest trouble in appeasing 
her. I was very fond of her, and knew her worth, and what 
I had done was done to amuse the Queen. Since then I have 
left off turning people into ridicule : it is wiser to find fault 
with one's self. How easily the faults of others are per- 
ceived by us, whilst to our own we are blind. But I must 
return to my story. 

As the Margrave of Anspach was expected in a week, and 
as neither he nor my sister had had the small-pox, I was 
sent away from Potsdam. Before my departure I went to 
see the King, but my mother would not allow me to remain 
long with him. He was generally so unkind to me that, as 
I had not yet quite recovered my strength, the Queen was 
afraid the agitation would be bad for me. When I arrived 
in Berlin, I found the Countess Amelie was engaged to be 
married to Yiereck, the Minister of State. Her old lover 
had died a year ago, in England. She had received the news 
whilst attending the Court circle, and it affected her so 
much that she fell down in a swoon. This occurrence did 
not increase her favour with the Queen. Countess Amelie, 
how^ever, was not long in getting over her loss. The King and 
Queen soon joined me at Berlin, with the rest of the family. 

My sister's wedding took place amidst great pomp and 
rejoicing. She took her departure with her husband a fort- 
night afterwards, and I was then set at liberty. 

"\Ye did not remain long in Berlin, but joined the King at 
"Wusterhausen, where the quarrels began afresh. Not a clay 
passed without some scene or other. The King's anger 
against my brother and myself reached such a pitch that, 
with the exception of the hours for our meals, we were 
banished both from his presence and the Queen's. He scarcely 



90 MEMOIRS OF THE 



allowed us the necessaries of life, and we were tormented 
with hunger from morning till night. Our only food 
was coifee and milk, and during dinner and supper time we 
were honoured with epithets anything but pleasing. Of an 
afternoon we went secretly to see the Queen, and whilst we 
were with lier she always had her spies watching to inform 
her in good time of the King's approach. One day, whilst 
we were with her, she had not, through some carelessness or 
other, had early enough notice of my father's return. There 
was only one door to the room in which we were, so that we 
had to make up our minds at once what to do. My brother 
liid himself in a cupboard, and I slipped under my mother's 
bed. We had scarcely had time to do so before the King 
entered the room. He was unfortunately very tired, sat 
clown, and went to sleep for two hours. I was in a most un- 
comfortable position, and nearly smothered hiding under that 
low bed. I peeped out from time to time to discover if the 
King was still asleep. Anybody who had witnessed this 
occurrence must have laughed. 

At last the King woke up, and left the room ; we crept 
from our hiding places, and implored the Queen never to 
expose us to a similar " comedy " again. I often begged the 
Queen to allow me to write to the King, asking him the 
reason of his anger against me, and begging his forgiveness. 
She would not let me do so, however. She said it would 
be of no use : " Your father would only grant you his favour 
on condition that you married either the Margrave of Schwedt 
or the Duke of Weissenfels." I quite saw the force of these 
arguments, and had to submit. 

A few peaceful days followed these storms, but, alas, only 
to make way for still worse. The King went to Libnow, 
where he met the King of Poland and his son. In spite of 
all the difficulties that had been placed in his way, my f atlier 
still hoped to arrange a marriage between me and the King 
of Poland. The Crown Prince of Poland persistently turned 



MAIIG RAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 91 

a deaf ear to the entreaties of both sovereigns, and was not 
to be induced to sign the marriage contract. My father, 
finding himself forced to give up this plan, deemed it right 
at once to solemnly betroth me, during the King of Poland's 
visit, to the Duke of Weissenfels. On his return to Wuster- 
hausen my father passed through the small town of Dam, 
which belonged to this Prince, and stopped there a few days. 
During his absence we had remained at Wusterhausen, and 
consequently enjoyed some peace and quiet ; but this all 
came to an end as soon as the King returned. He never 
saw my brother without threatening him with his stick, and 
this latter often said to me that he would respectfully bear 
all ill-treatment save blows, and that if it came to these he 
would run away. 

The page Keith had meanwhile become an officer in a 
regiment quartered in Cleves. "We were delighted at his 
promotion, as we hoped his removal would have a good effect 
on my brother, and that he would in consequence give up 
many of his wild ways. Alas ! he unfortunately found 
a far worse favourite in the son of Pield-Marshal von Katt, 
grandson of Field-Marshal von Wartensleben. 

His father had had him very well educated, and had 
intended him, on' account of his cleverness, for the Civil 
Service. This plan did not please the King, so young Katt 
entered the Army, in which he held the rank of Captain of 
Gendarmes. His constant intercourse with the French 
Envoy, Count von Eotenburg, his travels, industry and study, 
had given refinement both to his mind and his manners. 
He was extremely cultivated, and a most agreeable social 
companion. His appearance was not attractive. He was 
very plain, with a dark complexion, much marked by small- 
pox. His thick black eyebrows were drawn down low over 
his eyes, and met above his nose. This gave him a most 
unfortunate expression. Katt was very wild, and boasted of 
being very strong-minded. It was Katt's influence which 



^2 MEMOIRS OF THE 



destroyed all religious belief in my brother. I had observed 
this in his conversations, and had also often argned with him 
about his fatalist views. He maintained that being once 
predestined to sin, it was impossible to escape from it. I 
never, however, for a moment thought that he intended with 
this one theory to overthrow all religious belief. 

We at last left Wusterhausen to return to Berlin. As the 
King had not again mentioned my marriage with the Duke 
of "Weissenfels, the Queen thought all was safe. One 
evening she received a letter from my brother, which he sent 
her secretly, in which he told her of his utter despair. The 
King had so cruelly ill-used him, and beaten him so terribly, 
that he thought he would have killed him. He said his 
patience was at an end, that he was too proud to submit to 
such treatment, and that if his sufferings were not soon put 
an end to by England, he should be obliged reluctantly to 
take other means to find relief. It is easy to imagine the 
effect this communication had on my mother and myself. 
Our grief was indescribable. I foresaw the saddest results, 
for I understood my brother better than the Queen did, and 
knew that the means he hinted at meant flight. I ventured 
to implore my mother to let the King have his own way, and 
not oppose him. She saw what divisions there were in the 
family, I continued, how my brother was ill-treated, and 
how embittered the King had become during the last year. 
I was cjuite ready to become the victim of it all, I said, and 
there was no sacrifice, however great, which I would not 
gladly make were it to put an end to the misery which my 
brother had to endure. My mother was extremely angry 
with this speech of mine. " Do you wish to break my heart, 
and commit actions which are unworthy both of myself and 
of you ? If so, do what you like, but my curse will be upon 
you, and I disown you from henceforth." She quite frightened 
me by her violence in saying this, and I had the greatest 
trouble in calming her and making my peace with her. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 93 

Since tlie Countess Amelie's marriage, Mademoiselle von 
Billow, first Lady-in-waiting, had taken her place, and 
become a great favourite with the Queen. This lady's 
character differed greatly from that of her predecessor. She 
was kind-hearted and obliging, and did no one any harm. 
Her only fault was love of intrigue. She was on very good 
terms with M. de Bourguait, the English Envoy, and his wife, 
and still more so with M. von Kniephausen, first Secretary of 
State at the Court of Berlin, in consequence of which it was 
easy for the Queen also to obtain information about affairs of 
the most confidential nature. Eamen meanwhile continued 
her mischievous work. She brought the Queen false news 
about the King, whilst, at the same time, she betrayed her 
to him. Since my brother's letter, the Queen did not know to 
which saint she was to pray for help. Eversmann, whom I 
have already mentioned several times, was the King's especial 
favomite. The Queen was well aware that this creature was 
in Seckendorf and Grrumkow's pay, and that he did his 
utmost to create a bad feeling between the King and his 
family. She determined therefore at all hazards to win him 
over to her side, and spoke to M. de Bourguait on the subject, 
to obtain his co-operation. He could, however, give her 
only five hundred thalers, (£75). She herself added the 
same amount. After speaking with Eversmann in a most 
friendly manner, and promising him endless favours, she 
gave him the money, remarking, at the same time, that it was 
small in comparison to the advantages he would reap 
if he would join her party, and do his duty. Having 
promised her all she asked for, Eversmann at once went 
and betrayed the whole transaction to the King. He boasted 
greatly of this fresh proof of his devotion to him. My 
father's anger against my mother was only increased by 
this incident, and we sank into depths out of which we could 
only with difficulty extricate ourselves. 

I now arrive at a most critical period in these memoirs, the 



94 MEMOIRS OF THE 



year 1730, which certainlj was the cruellest in my life. The 
KJing came to Berlin for the fetes of the New Year. He was' 
in an excellent temper durijig the whole time he was there, 
and the subject of my marriage was never touched on. "We 
had found means of pacifying my brother, and flattered our- 
selves that after having gone through so many troubles we 
should at last have some peace ! But who knows the recesses 
of man's heart, and who can rely on constant happiness ! 
The King left Berlin and returned to Potsdam. A few days 
after Count Finkenstein received a letter from him with an 
order which he was not to open except in the presence of 
Grrumkow and Field-Marshal von Bork, both of whom were 
Ministers of State. These two gentlemen received a Eoyal 
command to go to Count Finkenstein. As soon as they had 
assembled they together read the order, which enclosed a 
letter from the King to the Queen. The order ran as follows : 

" As soon as you three, namely, Grumkow, Bork, and 
Finkenstein have assembled together, you are to go to the 
Queen, and tell her in my name that I am tired of her 
intrigues, that I no longer intend to remain England's 
plaything, a part which dishonours me and my family, that 
I am determined to spite everyone, and settle my daughter 
"Wilhelmine's marriage ; but that as an act of great clemency 
towards my wife, I give her permission once more to write to 
England, and ask if they will consent to the marriage "^ith 
the Prince of Wales. If, however, the answer does not meet 
my wishes,' then the Queen must give me her word of honour 
no longer to oppose my daughter's marriage. She can have 
her choice between the Margrave of Schwedt and the Duke 
of Weissenfels. If, on the other hand, she does not agree to 
these conditions, tell the Queen that I shall break with her 
for ever, and that she can retire with her worthless daughter, 
whom I shall no longer acknowledge, to her dower house of 
Oranienburg. Do your duty as devoted subjects, and use all 



MARGRAYI^'E OF BAIREUTH. 95 

jour influence to bring about tlie Queen's submission to my 
commands. I shall know how to reward you ; but if, on the 
other hand, you fail, you and your families shall suffer for it. 
" I remain, your affectionate King, 

" Frederick "William." 

As soon as they had read the letter, Grrumkow, Bork and 
Finkenstein went to the Queen. She was quite unprepared 
for this visit ; Count Finkenstein had, however, found means 
to let her know of it. They handed her the King's letter, 
which was couched in such harsh terms that I will pass over 
it in silence. They then showed her the King's order 
a;l dressed to them, and spoke with her about it as they 
were desired. Grrumkow distinguished himself much on this 
occasion. He followed the Devil's example. Having tried 
in vain to convince her on political grounds why it was for 
the King's advantage that she should make this sacrifice, he 
tried to quote the Bible to her. He said that it was written 
there that wives should be in "submission to their husbands," 
and that as regarded the obedience due from children to their 
parents, they owed it to their father above all things ; that a 
father had the right too of forcing his daughter to marry 
against her inclinations. The Queen answered him by 
quoting the example of Bethuel, who replied as follows to 
Abraham's servants when they came to ask for Eebekah as 
wife for Isaac : " ' Call the damsel,' and they called Eebekah 
and said unto her, ' "Wilt thou go with this man?' " She 
knew, the Queen added, what obedience a wife owed her 
husband, but she confined herself to submitting to all reason- 
able demands, and to those the justice and fairness of which 
could not be disputed. But that neither justice nor fairness 
existed in wishing to marry me to a coarse, dissolute creature, 
stamped mth the traces of all his vices. He was the youngest 
Prince of the House of Brandenburg, a Polish Greneral, 
dependent on an annuity, on which he was scarcely able to 



96 MEMOIRS OF THE 



subsist, still less to keep me as befitted my rank. His age 
was out of all proportion to mine, his appearance most 
unpleasant, and, finally, he did not possess a single advantage 
which could make him attractive. As regarded the King's 
threats to separate himself from her, the Queen continued, 
these went for nothing, because that matter did not lie in the 
King's power. She had never given him the least cause for 
complaint, either by her behaviour or her actions, and there- 
fore she considered it beneath her to notice this portion of 
his letter. The Queen would, she said, write to England as 
the King desired, but she would never give consent to either 
of the other two marriages : she would rather see me dead 
than plunged into such misery. In conclusion, my mother 
said she felt indisposed, and had expected that greater 
consideration would have been shown her in her present 
condition ; and after addressing some sharp words to Grrum- 
kow she left the room in a terrible state of agitation. 

She sent at once for me, told me all that had taken place, 
and showed me the King's letter, to which I could answer 
only with my tears. This dreadful letter had to be answered, 
and my mother's reply was most touching. Having repeated 
in it most of what she said to the three gentlemen, she 
afterwards held a consultation with Countess Finkenstein, 
Mademoiselle von Sonnsf eld, and myself, as to the decision to 
be taken. We agreed that the Queen should pretend to be 
very ill, and in such a manner, too, that even her maids 
should be deceived. Countess Finkenstein took this oppor- 
tunity of telling my mother that she did not know who the 
persons were that repeated everything that happened in lier 
rooms, even to the confidential conversations she had with 
her. "I assure your Majesty," she continued, "that you 
cannot be too careful at this critical moment. People listen 
at your doors, and those you think devoted to you betray 
you ! " " No one," said the Queen, " can betray my secrets, 
as they do not know them, and I am quite sure of Ramen's 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 97 

discretion." As the Queen said this, we all three looked at 
each other in such a way that she must have read our 
thoughts ; but if she did so, she took care we should not be 
aware of her discovery. 

That same evening, whilst we were at dinner, the Queen 
acted as if she were taken suddenly ill. We all played 
our -puTts so well that every one was taken in, excepting 
the maid Eamen, who had been told of the plan. The 
next day my mother kept her bed, and made all believe she 
was very ill. This, however, did not prevent her from 
secretly informing my brother of all that had happened, and 
of sending him the rough copy of a letter which he was to 
write to the Queen of England. He was to say that though he 
had met with no favourable response to a former letter he had 
written on the subject of my marriage he had not lost courage. 
He was too well aware of the kind-heartedness of the King 
and Queen of England, knowing besides how tenderly at- 
tached they were to the Queen, his mother, not to feel sure 
that, taking our painful position into account, they would no 
longer refuse to consent to my marriage with the Prince of 
Wales. They would risk nothing in doing so, for he gave 
his solemn promise never to marry anyone but the Princess 
Amelia. If, however, the question of my marriage were 
further postponed, he would consider himself no longer 
bound by his promise, and would agree to the first marriage 
his father proposed to him. My brother made no difficulty 
about writing this letter, which was sent off, together with 
a very strong one from the Queen. Much as I had disliked 
the idea of this marriage, I own that I now much desired 
that it should take place. It was the least of the three evils 
which threatened me, and I saw but too clearly what would 
be the result if the negotiation failed. 

Things continued in this state for several days. The 
Queen left her bed of an afternoon, and dined with us in 
the evening. On the 25th the crisis began. The Queen 

H 



98 MEMOIRS OF THE 



received a fresh embassy from the King, consisting of the 
same persons as had composed the former ; but this time their 
messages were far more peremptory than those she had 
received before. The King persisted in his threat of sending 
my mother away to her dower house, at the same time 
threatening to imprison me and ruin my brother. He 
alluded to the proposed marriage with England, only to say 
he would hear nothing more about it. Even if the King 
and Queen of England agreed, he would now refuse his 
consent. My mother was therefore quietly to submit to his 
propositions, or she might be certain that the whole force of 
the King's resentment would fall on me. These messages, 
accompanied by a still more violent letter from my father, 
had no effect in shaking my mother's determination. She 
persisted in her refusal to consent to either of the marriages 
proposed. The King might kill her, she said, before she 
would give her consent. We were prepared at any moment 
for the King's taking extreme measures. The perpetual 
agitation and sorrow in which we lived affected my health, 
which was always delicate. I could neither sleep nor eat, 
and grew visibly thinner. 

A week passed in this painful state, when at last the reply 
from England arrived. It was couched in the usual terms. 
The King and Queen of England were favourably inclined 
to my marriage taking place on condition that my brother's 
was solemnized at the same time. The Queen of England's 
letter to my brother contained only civil speeches. My 
mother at once communicated this news to me : she was so 
affected by them that we were afraid of the result on her 
health. She accompanied the letter from England, which 
she was obliged to lay before the King, with a most touching- 
note of her own, hoping to soften his heart. He, however, 
returned both unread, because Eamen, to whom the Queen 
had confided, had betrayed everything to him. Eversmann 
arrived that evening from Potsdam, and told the Queen that 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 99 



the King was greatly incensed against Iier and me, and had 
sworn to use violence to force us to submit to his will. 
Everybody was suffering from his bad temper, he said, and 
he had most cruelly ill-treated my brother, having seized 
him by his hair, dragged him through the room, and then 
beaten him till he bled. "When Eversmann left the Queen's 
presence, he said to me in a most insolent tone, " How long 
will you continue to be the cause of these dissensions in the 
family, and to draw down the King's anger upon you ? I 
speak to you as a friend. Obey the King's orders with a 
good grace, or prepare yourself for the grossest insult. I 
know what is in store for you. You have not a moment to 
lose. Grive me a letter for the King, and don't pay any 
attention to what the Queen says. I don't tell you this 
from myself, but by the King's orders." 

Put yourself in my place, and judge what I suffered at 
being treated thus by a wretched valet and spy ! Yet I was 
obliged to remain cool, and therefore merely answered, " the 
King's displeasure is most painful to me, and I shall do 
everything in my power to win back his favour. I know 
his kind heart and fatherly tenderness too well not to 
believe that he would not willingly plunge me into misery. 
I shall obey all his commands, however hard they may be, as 
soon as he and my mother are of one mind about them. I 
know that he has full power over me as my father, bufc my 
mother's rights are equally good. I am quite ready to take 
an oath never to marry the Prince of Wales, if the King will 
only exempt me from marrying either of the two people to 
whom I have an unconquerable repugnance." Eversmann 
then turned to Mademoiselle von Sonnsf eld and said, "the King 
commands you to induce the Princess to accept the marriage 
with the Duke of Weissenfels, and if she will not have him, 
then to take the Margrave of Schwedt. If you do not obey 
the King's orders, he will have you imprisoned on bread and 
water in Spandau, and ruin the whole of your family." 

H 2 



100 MEMOIRS OF THE 



" The King has the power to do this," Mademoiselle von 
Sonnsfeld answered, in the quietest manner possible. " He 
appointed me to educate the Princess, but not to force her to 
this marriage. I shall not meddle in this business, nor shall 
I tell her to accept one or the other suitor, but I shall pray to 
Grod to guide her aright, that she may decide on what is 
best." 

" But are you not aware," Eyersmann began afresh, 
" on what the King has decided if she continues to 
remain so obstinate? " "Xo, I am not, neither do I wish 
to know," was her reply. " I will, however, tell you," he 
continued, " the King gives the Princess three days to think 
it over ; if she then persists in her refusal, the King will 
send to Wusterhausen for the two Princes, and force her to 
marry the one or the other. If she does not then cheerfully 
consent, the religious service will be dispensed with, and she 
will be shut up with the Duke, and we will then see if he 
cares to marry her after that I " Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld 
and Madame von Konnken as well as myself, who had heard 
this speech from a distance, were petrified with astonish- 
m.ent at it. Madame von Konnken could however stand it no 
longer, and spoke to him most severely. He, however, 
insisted on every word being the truth, and moreover said 
that there were no means to escape from this evil fate. "Are 
there no other suitable marriages in the whole world for the 
Princess but just these two ? " Madame von Konnken asked, 
*'and must she be forced to accept either of them?" "If the 
Queen knows of any better, excluding, of course, the marriage 
with the Prince of Wales, I think the King would not so 
much mind," Eversmann answered, "though he has the 
marriage with the Duke of "Weissenfels much at heart." 

At this moment the Queen sent for us, and thus put an 
end to the conversation. She saw, by the expression on my 
face, that something out of the common had taken place ; 
and I then told her, with as much caution as I could. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREIITH. 101 

Eversmann's conversation. After a long deliberation, she 
determined to speak next day with Field-Marshal von Bork. 
He was a very honest man, and might be able to help her to 
see her way in her present difficult position. She accord- 
ingly sent for him, and gave him an account of all that had 
taken place the day before. Her Mistress of the Eobes was 
present with her during the interview. " You have delivered 
the messages with which the King entrusted you," she said, 
" and I answered you as his Envoy. Now you have nothing 
more to do with those messages. To-day I have sent for you 
in the capacity of friend to ask your advice, and pray you to 
give it me unreservedly." The Field-Marshal shrugged his 
shoulders. " I am in utter despair," he replied, " to see such 
clissensions in the Eoyal Family, and to learn what worry and 
annoyance your Majesty has to endure. Till now, I had 
always hoped that England would come to a favourable 
decision ; but as this is not the case, I do not see how your 
Majesty is to escape from the predicament in which you are 
placed. What Eversmann said yesterday leaves little doubt 
as to the truth of the violent measures which the King has 
in contemplation against the Princess. The Margrave of 
Schwedt is here incognito : one of my people saw him, and 
from the information I have gathered, he has been here 
already several days, living in the ' Neustadt.'* He 
goes out only of an evening. These two letters from 
Dresden inform me that the Duke of Weissenfels is staying 
at a little -village near Wusterhausen. We, therefore, 
have everything to fear from the King's violence. Your 
Majesty knows him but too well, and how difficult it is, when 
once his anger is roused, to pacify him. He has already 
come to blows with the Cro"^TL Prince, and has given vent to 
his fury against your Majesty, so that little mere is required 
to make him carry out his other threats. Your Majesty has 

* The new part of Berlin. 



102 me:moiiis of the 



asked me to give jou my advice quite candidly : it is tMs, to 
gain time. It is the only means remaining to you." 

" But my daughter must come to a decision the day after 
to-morrow," the Queen exclaimed, "how are we to gain 
time ? " 

" The only thing then to be done," the Field-Marshal 
replied, "is to propose a third marriage. I am sure that 
neither Grumhow nor Seckendorf will agre^ to that, and you 
will thereby gain time and pacify the King." 

The Queen agreed to this, and thought over for some time 
which prince she could propose. She finally determined on 
the Hereditary Prince of Baii^euth. The Field-Marshal 
undertook to let the King know of the change in the Queen's 
views. "If all the ropes break," he added, " at least this 
marriage is worth a thousand times more than either of the 
others. This Prince is very highly spoken of, and will also 
be a reigning sovereign. His country is beautiful, and his 
age is in every way suitable to that of the Princess." "Well 
then, I am satisfied," my mother said, " and if my last 
endeavour to get a satisfactory answer from England fails, 
then in Grod's name let her marry this Prince. My enemies 
will at least not have the satisfaction of triumphing over 
me." 

The Eang retiu'ned two days later to Berlin. He entered 
my mother's room fi-antic with rage. She was still in bed 
pretending to be ill. Xeither my sister nor I was in the room 
at the time. My mother let him say what he would, T\ithout 
uttering one word, and when he had finished endeavoured 
to soften his anger by the most gentle and touching words. 
It was all of no use. "You can choose," he finally said, 
" and this is the last time you have the chance, either the 
Margrave of Schwedt or Duke Johann Adolph, and if you 
wish to please me, then let your choice fall on the latter." 
"May God defend me from that," my mother cried. "Tery 
well then," the King answered, "I shall go this very moment 



MAKGRAYINE OF BAIREUTH. 103 

to the Margravine Philip, (mother of the Margrave Schwedt) 
and accept her son for my daughter, and shall ask her to 
undertake the marriage preparations. And without leaving 
my mother time to say a word in answer, he left the room. 

My father wasted not a moment, but went forthwith to 
the Margravine. " Your Highness will be doubtless sui'- 
prised at my visit, but I bring you news which I am sure 
Avill greatly please you," and, without giving her time to 
reply, the King continued, " I come to announce the decision 
I have come to, namely, to marry my eldest daughter to your 
son. I do not for a moment doubt that this alliance will 
meet with your entire satisfaction, and that you will gladly 
give your consent to it. "Write to your son at once — he leit 
for Schwedt to-day — and tell him of my intentions, also that 
he need fear nothing, as I intend to show that I am masttr 
in my own house." 

The venerable Margravine, who had listened with the 
greatest pleasure to the beginning of the King's speech, 
entirely changed her opinion before he got to the end of it. 
" I am fully sensible, as I ought to be, of the great honour 
your Majesty has done me, in choosing my son," she replied, 
" and fully recognize the good fortune and the great advan- 
tages accruing therefrom, both to my son and to myself. But 
though this son is dearer to me than my life, and though 
nothing would seem too hard to me to procure his happiness, 
yet I should be in despair if this happiness were obtained at 
the Princess's expense. I should not only refuse my consent 
to such a marriage, but should declare myself my son's 
greatest enemy if he were base enough to marry the 
Princess against her will." 

" Would you then rather that she married the Duke of 
Weissenfels ?" the King said. " It is immaterial to me whom 
she marries," the Margravine answered, " as long as neither 
I nor my son are the cause of her misery." When the King 
found that nothing would move her, he took his leave. That 



104 MEMOIRS OF THE 



same evening the Margravine sent me a note by a confidential 
servant, informing me of all tliat had taken place, and begging 
me to tell my mother. Such generosity deserved its full 
measure of gratitude, and my reply expressed this feeling in 
the strongest manner possible, both in my own name and the 
Queen's. 

I had not yet seen the King. My mother was afraid to 
let me, as she dreaded his violence. Her room was full of 
screens, which almost made a labyrinth, and I was able to 
escape through these when the King entered whilst I was 
with her. Eamen, who was as watchful as Satan himself, 
and rejoiced whenever she could do harm to anyone, had 
altered the position of the screens without my having noticed 
it. One day the King entered the room. I wanted to escape 
in the usual way, but found no outlet among the screens. 
The noise I made soon betrayed my presence. No sooner 
did the King see me than he poured forth a flood of abuse upon 
me, which he threatened to accompany with blow^s of his stick. 
There was nothing left me but to hide behind my gover- 
ness. The King advanced towards her : she stepped back, 
pushing me behind her, further and further till we were close 
against the fire-place, the King, meanwhile, approaching 
nearer and nearer. As we had no intention of jumping into 
the fire, we were obliged to come to a standstill. The King 
now put his head over Mademoiselle von Sonnsf eld's shoulder, 
screaming abusive epithets at me. Each time he put out his 
head I dived down on the other side. Finding that he could 
not catch me he left the room, laughing in spite of his anger 
at the absurd spectacle we presented. 

On the following day he renewed his entreaties and his 
threats. The Queen, after vainly trying to divert his atten- 
tion, and make him think of other things, at last said to him, 
" Let us both be reasonable. I agree to the rupture with 
England ; pray do on your part give up the idea of the 
marriage with "Weissenfels or Schwedt. I promise you to 



MAKGKAVINE OF BAIllEUTH. lOo 

give my consent to any otlier marriage which holds out a 
fair prospect to my daughter." " Yery well, then," my father 
answered, " name such a one to me, and I agree." The 
Queen thereupon named the Hereditary Prince of Baireuth, 
saying, "he belongs to your House, has a beautiful princi- 
pality, his age is suitable to that of my daughter, and he is 
said to be an estimable Prince." " Well then I am satisfied," 
the King exclaimed, "but if she marries according to her own 
inclinations, I will give her no trousseau, or dowry, or 
marriage feast. If, on the other hand, she obeys me, I will 
provide for her in every wa}^" 

" But what in the world can I do more to please you ? " my 
m.other replied, " do you wish to torment me to death ? Let 
her then marry that fat Juhann Adolph ; but if she has any 
love for me, she will never, never do so." 

Upon this my father said, " You shall have your waj^, I 
will Avrite to-morrow to the Margrave of Baireuth, and you 
shall see my letter." 

As soon as the conversation was at an end my mother 
sent for me. I found her in the greatest state of delight. 
" All goes well," she cried, embracing me tenderly ; " the 
King and I have together chosen the Hereditary Prince of 
Baireuth to be your husband, and the King writes to-morrow 
to the Margrave on the subject. There is only one point 
that makes me rather anxious, but I trust still to see it 
satisfactorily settled. It is this, that the King will not give 
you a dowry, neither will he give the marriage festivities. 
I hope, however, that you will get over this." 

This news and decision disconcerted me terribly. I pro- 
mised my mother to obey her in everything, but I expressed 
a hope she would consider to what she was exposing me. 
" What will the world £ay, if I marry against the King's 
will, and what can be more painful to me than to be turned 
out of the house like a worthless girl ? What will the 
Prince think whose wife I am destined to be? I have 



106 MEMOIRS OF THE 



persistently refused my consent to tlie other two marriages 
proposed to me by the King, your Majesty cannot blame me 
if I now refuse this which you propose to me ? As soon as 
ever you and the King are entirely of one mind as to any 
particular choice, I will submit blindly, but I cannot do so 
as things are now ! " " Well then, marry tlie Sidtan or 
the Great Mogul, and have your own way!" the Queen 
exclaimed. "If 1 had known you better I should not have 
brought so much sorrow and trouble on myself. Marry the 
King's head if you like, I will have nothing more to do 
with the whole business," and she sent me out of the room 
without letting me answer a word. My mother then sent for 
Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld. " Induce my daughter to give 
way to my wishes," she said to her. " I insist on her 
marrying the Prince of Baireuth, and will not hear of a 
refusal. This marriage gives me as much pleasure as if I 
settled my daughter in England." She spoke in the same 
tone to my brother, and as he was getting very weary of 
England's procrastination, he spoke seriously to me on the 
subject. I answered him that I was ready at all times to 
sacrifice myself for him, but in this particular case my honour 
was concerned. "If my father reconsiders his determination, 
and gives me a dowry, at the same time letting me leave my 
home in a manner befitting my position, I shall not for one 
moment hesitate in accepting tlie Prince of Baireuth. If, 
however, he persists in his intention, then nothing in the 
world will move me." 

My brother was very angry with me for this, and said so 
many hard things to me that J was in despair. Mademoiselle 
von Billow, who had been present at this interview, implored 
me to be calm. " I beseech your Poyal Highness to reflect 
that all is not yet lost ! I am sure I know of means to pacify 
the Queen. We must let her anger pass over, and then 
when I have spoken to her, I feel sure that she will again 
turn to you in love." I implored her in vain to tell me to 



MARGRAVINE OF BATREUTH. 10" 



wliat means she intended to resort to extricate me from my 
painful position. 

The following morning the King brought his letter to the 
Margrave of Baireuth to the Queen. It was written in 
most courteous terms, inviting the Prince to strengthen the 
ties that united the two families, by consenting to a marriage 
between his son and myself. The King then said to my 
mother, "I shall send off the letter under the conditions 
named. Your daughter's dower, trousseau, and the marriage 
festivities, you can give lier, but from me she shall never have 
a penny I " The Queen was quite satisfied with everything, 
but still more so when Marshal Bork secretly informed her 
that evening that the King had changed his mind, and had 
been induced by Grumkow and Seckendorf not to send off the 
letter. Mademoiselle von Biilow told her at the same time 
that M. von Kniephausen and the English Envoy had decided 
on sending the English Chaplain, who was my English 
Master, to London. They wished to make one last endeavour, 
and the letters they intended sending were so strong and urgent 
that they must wake the English Court out of its apathy. 

As the Chaplain had been a witness of everything that 
had taken place, and knew, besides, every detail of our 
painful position, he would be able to describe it all in such a 
manner that it could not fail to produce an effect, and induce 
the English sovereigns to give their consent to this much- 
desired marriage. The Queen entirely approved of this 
decision, and entrusted the Chaplain with letters to the Queen 
of England, in which she reproached her with her want of 
friendship, and described to her her sad position. 

My father seemed pacified. He no longer spoke of these 
other hateful marriages, and treated the Queen more kindly. 
My brother and I were, however, in constant disgrace, but 
with this difference : that I was never allowed to appear 
before him, whilst he had to be constantly about him, a 
position which exposed him to constant blows and ill-treat- 



108 MEMOIRS OF THE 



ment, I liacl made up my quarrel with my brotlier, and 
suffered terribly at T\itnessing his despair at the treatment he 
received from his father. 

On the 18th of February the King went to Dresden, 
where he had several intervievv's with the King of Poland. 
These he kept quite secret. 

During his absence, my mother was taken dangerously ill, 
and nearly died. Her sufferings were terrible. I suffered 
as much as she did, and never left her bedside for one 
moment. As soon as the King had returned to Potsdam, 
the doctors and her Mistress of the Pobes informed him of 
her great danger. He was much alarmed, and would have 
hastened to her bedside, had not Pamen and Eversmann 
assured him that the sickness was a mere pretext, and that 
the Queen was not really ill at all. As, however, the illness 
increased, and the doctors considered her in imminent danger, 
a messenger was sent at night to tell the King. He started 
off at once on receipt of the news, and arrived in the after- 
noon. He found the Queen in a most grievous condition. 
His o^m surgeon entirely endorsed the doctor's opinion as to 
the gra\T.ty of the case, and the King was beside himself. 
My mother took this opportunity of speaking with him 
about his past conduct, and of all the sorrow he had caused 
her, which had, she told him, brought her to her present 
condition. She implored him to forgive me, and to restore 
me his fatherly affection. My^father at once sent for me. 
It was a most touching moment. I knelt before him, kissing 
his hands and covering them mth tears, whilst speaking in 
the tenderest manner to him. To please the Queen he 
embraced me, but as soon as she liad turned her head away 
he pushed me from him ^ith such a furious look on his face 
that I quite trembled. This apparent reconciliation between 
my father and myself made my mother so happy, that three 
days afterwards she was out of danger. 

We had scarcely escaped from one crisis when we entered 



MAEGRAVINE OF BAIRF.UTII. 109 

upon another. My brother was so irritated at the ill usage 
he received from the King that he was considering seriouslj"- 
what decision he should come to. He never let the Queen 
suspect anything, but daily came secretly to see me. 

"I am perpetually being told to have patience," he said, 
" but no one knows what I have to endure. I am treated 
like a slave, am beaten every day, and have no relaxation of 
any kind. I am forbidden to read, to study the sciences 
or music, and am scarcely allowed to speak to anybody. 
My life is in perpetual danger, I am surrounded by spies. I 
have not even enough clothes, and am wanting in most other 
necessaries of life ; but the last terrible scene with the Xing 
at Potsdam has quite overcome me. He sent for me one 
morning. As soon as I entered the room he seized me by 
my hair and threw me on the ground. After having beaten 
me with his fists, he dragged me to the window and tied the 
cord, which fastened back the curtain, round my throat. I 
had, fortunately, time to get up and seize hold of his hands, 
but as he pulled with all his might at the cord round my 
throat, I felt I was being strangled, and screamed for help. 
A page rushed in to my assistance, and had to use force 
in freeing me from my father's hands. 

" Tell me now what remains to me but flight. Katt and 
Keith are both ready to follow me to the end of the world. 
I have passports and letters of credit, and have arranged 
everything in such a manner that I cannot possibly run any 
danger. I shall fly to England, where I shall be received 
with open arms, and shall have nothing more to fear from 
my father's anger. I shall confide none of these intentions 
to the Queen. First of all because she gossips with Eamen ; 
and secondly, because should such an occasion arise, she 
could then swear that she knew nothing about the whole 
business. As soon as my father undertakes another journey, 
for that makes everything safer for me, I shall carry out 
my plan, for everj^thing is in readiness." 



110 MEMOIRS OF THE 



I cried incessantly during this speech, and afterwards asked 
him if he had reflected as to the results of this step, and 
how terrible they would be. Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld, 
who was present, spoke in the same strain to him, but 
we both saw that our representations were quite useless. 

Soon after this the King went to Potsdam. During his 
absence I took the Holy Sacrament, and on my return from 
the Dom (Cathedral) on Sunday I found Katt w^aiting for me. 
Bamen's rooms were just opposite, and she was standing at 
her door, and Katt was unfortunately imprudent enough to 
give me a letter from my brother in her presence. 

"I have just come from Potsdam," Katt said, "where I 
have been staying secretly for three days to see the Crown 
Prince, and he entrusted this letter to my care." 

I took it from him without saying a word, and went my 
way, much annoyed, as anyone may suppose, at his want of 
tact. As soon as I reached my room I opened the letter 
and read as follows : — 

" Dear Sister, 

" I am beside myself. The King ill-treats me worse 
than ever. I can stand this existence no longer. The Queen 
puts the final touch to this misery by her infatuation for this 
maid Ramen. The King knows everything that takes place 
every day in her apartments, because Pamen keeps him 
informed of it all through his valets. These villains ought 
to be hung on the highest gallows. The King returns to 
Berlin on Tuesday ; but, as it is still a secret, do not tell the 
Uueen, or else she will at once inform that wicked creature. 
" Good bye, dear Sister, 

" Yours always entirely." 

I was now in a terrible difficulty. I could not show this 
letter to the Queen, and yet I feared that Ramen would 
have told her I had received it. After thinking it well 
over, I threw the missive into the fire, and determined to 



MARGRAVINE OF KAIREUTH. Ill 



?ay nothing. Happily, that ill-natured woman had never 
mentioned anything about the letter. It was, perhaps, the 
only good deed in her life. This circumstance is, probably, 
scarcely worth mentioning, still the course of these memoirs 
will show that I was right in noting it down. 

The English Chaplain had meanwhile arrived in London. 
He had described our position in such touching terms, and 
given so favourable an account of my brother, that the whole 
nation was won over to us. The Prince of Wales, with 
whom he had a long conversation, declared to the King his 
father that he would never marry anyone but myself, 
and begged him at last to allow the marriage to be solemnized. 
For this pm-pose the King named the " Knight " Hotliam 
as his Envoy Extraordinary to the Court of Berlin, where 
he arrived in the month of May. The Queen was still ill, 
and her great weakness prevented her leaving her bed. She 
was much pleased at Hotham's mission. As soon as he 
arrived at Berlin, he demanded an audience of the King, for 
which purpose he was at once summoned to Charlottenburg. 
The Queen sent some trusty friends there to keep her 
informed of all that took place. Hotham made a formal 
proposal for my hand. He told my father that his King 
and master and the whole nation were convinced that, after 
giving him this proof of their confidence, the King would 
not refuse his consent to the marriage of the Crown Prince. 
At any rate, people in England would be quite satisfied if 
my wedding took place first, and they left it free to the King 
to decide as to the time when the Crown Prince's should be 
celebrated. My father was enchanted, embraced the Envoy 
over and over again, and gave him endless assurances of his 
friendship. Then dinner was announced, to which Seckendorf 
and Grrumkow were invited. The King was in the best of 
tempers. At the close of the dinner he sent for a large 
glass, and proposed the health of his " dear son-in-law, tlie 
Prince of Wales." He had scarcely finished speaking, when 



11'2 MEMOIRS OF THE 



all present rose from tlieir seats and congratulated liini. This 
expression of sympatliv touched him so much that he had 
tears in his eyes. After dinner he took leave of the Envoy, 
who hegged him not to make too much ado about the 
marriage, and to grant him another audience. Grumkow 
and Seekendorf meanwhile were thunderstruck, and had the 
greatest trouble to hide their dismay. 

As soon as the King had left Charlottenburg, the Queen's 
faithful people came rushing to her with this joyful news. 
I was in mv own room workiu 2; and beins^ read aloud to, 
when my door was thrown open, and more than thiiiy ladies, 
gentlemen and servants, entered, and bending one knee before 
me, according to English fashion, wished me joy. In utter 
surprise I asked what it all meant, and if they had all gone 
mad. The only answer I received was that they called out, 
" Long live the Princess of "Wales! " and then told me what 
had taken place. " Is that all ? " I answered, and quietly 
resimied my work. A few moments later my sisters and 
several ladies from the town came to me to express then- 
interest and sympathy. I was much beloved : everyone wept 
-^ith joy and satisfaction. I refused to accept all these 
compliments, and told them that I knew of nothing, and 
could not accept their good wishes on mere hearsay. In the 
evening I went to my mother. Her heart was overflowing 
vrith joy. She received me on entering the room as her dear 
Princess of Wales. Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld took the 
Kberty of entreating her to be more careful. " The 'King 
might be offended," she said, "if your Majesty makes so 
much ado about a subject of which he has not yet informed 
you. Pray be more prudent than ever ! The slightest trifle 
mav yet destroy all our hopes." As Countess Einkenstein 
entirely supported Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld's opinion, the 
Queen promised to be careful. 

Three days later the King came to Berhn. He never 
uttered a word to the Queen about all that had happened, 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 113 

SO that we liad but little faith in these negotiations. On the 
other hand, he announced to her that he had just settled 
my second sister's marriage to the eldest son of the Duke of 
Brunswick-Bevern, and that he and his father would arrive 
here next day. Seckendorf had negotiated this marriage, 
and intended it to serve his further purposes. It was to be 
the corner-stone of the political edifice he had in view. 

The Duke of Brunswick was the Empress' brother, and 
at that time dependent on an annuity. His father-in-law, 
the Duke of Blankenburg, however, was the probable heir 
to the Duchy of Brunswick. I shall waste no time in 
painting his portrait, suffice it to say that he was in every 
way a most estimable and excellent prince. His son followed 
in his footsteps. My sister's formal betrothal took place two 
days after his arrival. As my mother was expecting her 
confinement, the ceremony took place privately, no other 
minister being present but Seckendorf. In consequence of 
my mother being unable to leave her room to dine with the 
King, we missed all opportunity of seeing Hotham. 

Though Hotham did not dine with the King, he had 
frequent interviews with him on the following subjects. The 
King of England demanded Grrumkow's dismissal, as a 
return for the step taken in the King's favour. He let my 
father know that he considered Grrumkow the cause and 
instigator of the unfriendly relations between the two 
Courts, and of all the misunderstandings that had taken 
place ; that he basely betrayed his master, as could be proved 
through letters that had been intercepted. These letters 
Grrumkow had written to Heichenbach, a Prussian residing in 
London. They had been deciphered, and later on I shall give 
their contents. The King of England then further acquainted 
my father with all the intrigues of the Court of Vienna, and 
finally insisted on my brother's marriage. He wanted only 
the betrothal. He was quite ready to accept me without a 
dowry, and promised that the Princess Amelia's dowry should 



114 MEMOIRS OF THE 



be £100,000. All this staggered my father much. As to 
Grrumkow, he answered that if he could see the letters 
proving his guilt, he would dismiss him at once. My 
brother's marriage he would take into consideration, but as 
regards my own he gladly accepted every condition. A few 
days later the King said to Hotham, " I will agree to my 
son's marriage if he is made Regent of Hanover, and allowed 
to direct the management of the kingdom till my death, 
and if provision is made for his maintenance." Hotham 
answered that he would at once write to England about it, 
and that he did not think he should meet with any great 
difficulties. 

As long as Hotham was at Berlin he received letters from 
the Prince of Wales by every post. Some of these he com- 
municated to my mother. I also saw some of them, and 
they always ended up in this way, *' Please, dear Hotham, 
get my marriage settled, my impatience increases daily, 
for I am quite foolishly in love." It cannot be disputed 
that these were most romantic feelings : he had never even 
seen me ! I really believe it was more obstinacy than love, 
and was not, therefore, much flattered by his protesta- 
tions. 

The suspicions Hotham had raised in the King's mind 
against Grumkow began to take effect. My father scarcely 
ever spoke to him now, and abused him before others, who 
he knew would be sure to repeat to him what they heard. 
Seckendorf also stood very low in favour, and to all appear- 
ance my marriage was a certainty. On the twenty-fifth the 
Queen gave birth to a prince. He was named Augustus 
Ferdinand, and the whole Brunswick family stood sponsors. 
On the thirtieth the King left for the camp at Miihlberg. 
The King of Poland's love of pomp and splendour were very 
apparent on this occasion. Nearly the whole of the Saxon 
;army was assembled in the camp, and performed all the 
evolutions and manoeuvres laid down by Polybius. The 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 115 

uniforms, liveries, and carriages were wonderfully rich, 
and people say that this camp quite exceeded in splendour 
the Field of the Cloth of Grold which took place in 
France.* 

The evening before his departure, my brother came to see 
me. He wore a French uniform, which frightened me 
dreadfully. No prince or officer is allowed to wear any 
other uniform than his own, and to do so is a punishable 
offence. It is true that it could matter but little to my 
brother whether he was turned out of the army or not ; but, 
considering my father's temper, such an act of disobedience 
might have led to terrible consequences. " I come to take 
leave of you," my brother said, " and do so with the greatest 
grief. Grod knows when we shall see each other again ! " 
These words fell on me like a thunderbolt, and I stood there 
petrified. My governess, who had more presence of mind, 
tried to induce him to feel how very wrongly he was acting in 
taking this step, and what cruel consequences it might have 
for us. Just now too when the King was becoming recon- 
ciled to England, when Seckendorf and Grrumkow were 
losing their influence, and when everything seemed turning 
out for his happiness. He would destroy all these hopes if 
he carried out his purpose. Besides, the King was too well 
aware of the intimate relations subsisting between my 
brother and myself, not to suspect me of participation in this 
plot, and would therefore make me the first victim. Already 
it was but too apparent how much our great devotion to each 
other annoyed him, and she was sure that he was on the 
point of bringing wretchedness on our whole family. I 
added my entreaties to those of my governess, and these and 
our tears prevailed so far as to induce him to give us his word 
of honour to return home again. 

* The meeting of Francis I. of France and Henry VIII. of England 
in 1520. 

I 2 



116 3IEM01RS OF THE 



The "King had no sooner reached ITuhlherg than en- 
deavours were made to impress on Vn'-m that the measures 
taken by England to "bring about the marriages were only 
moves in some deep-laid game ; that it was intended to get 
rid of the King's most trusty and devoted servants. He was 
further told that the English Court was ready, in order to 
gain my father's consent to the Crown Prince's marriage, to 
acquiesce in the most stringent conditions, but that its real 
object was to depose him, so that my brother might assume 
the government. I have often mentioned that suspicion and 
distrust were marked traits in my father's character. His 
great dislike to my brother, therefore, jirevented him from 
examining into the truth of these rumours, and he returned 
to Berlin in a state of anger that boded ill for the success 
of Hotham's mission. 

The King at last spoke to the Queen on the subject. He 
told her that he was most anxious to see me provided for and 
my future settled, but that he would never agree to my 
brother's marriage. My mother tried her utmost to calm 
him and allay his suspicions, and she seemed to have 
succeeded in doing so. The Danish Envoy, a very clever 
man, came gallantly to her aid, and helped finally to 
pacify the King. He spoke to him about Grumkow, and 
exposed all his intrigues. The King answered that he was 
quite willing to dismiss him, and to treat him severely, but 
would not do so till my marriage was formally declared. 
England, however, insisted on his dismissal before this event. 
The King left Berlin very favourably inchned. 

Crumkow, who had his spies everywhere, soon learned 
what had passed between M. von Lovner, the Danish Envoy, 
and the King. HJis conscience told him what treatment he 
had to expect if all his plots, double dealings and intrigues 
were discovered. The Queen was holding receptions during 
this time, and Grumkow was imprudent enough to appear at 
one of them. His appearance betrayed his state of mind 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 117 

most clearly, for he looked like a culprit, and did not dare 
raise his eyes from the ground. The Queen never spoke to 
him, nor did she invite him to sit at her table : he stood the 
whole time in a corner, and nobody went near him. The 
fall of a man, who had up to this time been honoured and 
feared by all as much as the King himself, made me very 
thoughtful. His fate called forth my pity, and I determined 
to speak to him. I accordingly had a long conversation with 
him on trivial subjects, and treated him as civilly as I was 
wont. M. von Lovner afterwards expressed his surprise 
to me that I should have spoken with such a villain, and said 
that the English Envoy would not be over satisfied when he 
heard of my doing so. " I am not in England," I answered, 
" and at present it is not necessary that I should frame my 
behaviour according to the ideas of that nation. I am quite 
well aware that Grrumkow is a bad man and my bitterest 
enemy, but his misfortune calls forth my pity. Believe me, 
a fallen enemy can still remain dangerous. For my 
part I wish him no other punishment than that of being 
unable to do any further harm." M. von Lovner has often 
since reminded me of this conversation, and of the truth of 
my prophecy. 

The King returned to Berlin soon after this. I found 
my brother in a terrible state of mind. His whole being 
had so suffered from the constant ill-treatment he had 
received, and he was so embittered against his father, that it 
was no longer possible to pacify him. 

I have already had occasion to mention Colonel Eochow, 
who was about my brother's person. My brother had, during 
moments of his bitterest despair, let fall some hints of his 
plan of flight before him. This imprudence had made 
Bochow pay greater attention to the Prince and his utter- 
ances, and he found that they were not merely wild words 
uttered at random, but that he had some fixed plan ready to 
carry into execution. Bochow went to Mademoiselle von 



118 MEAIOIRS or THE 



Biilow, and begged her to speak with, the Queen about it. 
Had he been a discreet man he would have let the matter 
rest there, but as it was, he went from house to house 
confiding it to every one. My mother was greatly alarmed 
when Mademoiselle von Biilow spoke to her on the subject, 
and at once asked me if I knew anything about it. I an- 
swered that I was but too well aware of my brother's utter 
state of despair, and that he only hid it from her to spare 
her sorrow. But I said I did not beheve him capable of 
the plan attributed to him. I was unable to say more to 
her about it on account of the maid Eamen. I beo'O'ed the 
Queen to speak with my brother, but in all love and gentle- 
ness, as I had great confidence in her influence with him. 
She followed my advice, and the assurances she received 
from him allayed all her fears. My own were, however, 
none the less, and I was ia an agony of mind. I could 
not confide ia the Queen, on account of Eamen, and yet 
I was powerless to avert the threatened blow. 

Meanwhile the rephes from England arrived. Every 
condition the " Kin g had made as regards my brother was 
agreed to, but the English Court insisted anew on Grrum- 
kow's immediate dismissal. Till he was gone the consent 
to the marriage would be withheld. Intercepted letters 
from Grrumkow were at the same time sent to my father. 
JSeckendorf, who had his spies everywhere, heard of these, 
and to be beforehand he sought an interview with the Elng. 
In this audience Seckendorf represented to his master, in 
the most glowing terms, the trouble and pain the Emperor 
had taken to gaia the Txing's friendship. He had not 
only allowed him the right of getting recruits for his army 
in his dominions, but had also promised him to be security 
for the principalities of Jiilich and Berg. Furthermore, in 
what despair the Emperor would be when he found that 
despite all his efforts the King had thrown himseK entirely 
into the arms of England. If the King, liowever, were so 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 119 

desirous of my marriage, tlieii the Emperor would not 
object to its being carried out. Seckendorf then continued 
to say, with abject hypocrisy, "I am an honest man, and 
have been devoted to you for years past: your position 
causes me the greatest alarm. See these letters which I 
received from England : they prove that the Crown Prince 
is in complete understanding with that Court, that the Queen 
has expressed herself most imprudently as to the steps he 
has taken, and that he has engaged himself to the Princess 
Amelia without your knowledge, and has twice written to 
the Queen of England on the subject. Grumkow has even 
more positive information about all this than I have, and 
is ready to lay it before your Majesty. Your Majesty 
may now judge for yourself as to the dangers to which 
you expose yourself if you consent to the Crown Prince's 
marriage, and dismiss your faithful servants. You will have 
a daughter-in-law for whose maintenance the State is not 
able to pay, your Court will be filled with intriguers, and 
the Crown Prince will soon assume the government, leaving 
your Majesty merely the bare title of King, whilst he will 
be the actual Sovereign. You will soon feel the truth of 
all I have said, as you already have the beginning of it 
before your eyes. England already treats you like a child. 
It dictates its commands to you, and, so to speak, coaxes 
you with a piece of sugar, saying, ' If you dismiss G-rumkow 
you shall have the sugar, otherwise you get nothing.' " 

Seckendorf 's long speech, which he accompanied with all 
the necessary action and exclamations, fulfilled its object. 
The King became very silent and thoughtful, and though he 
made no answer, Seckendorf observed that he had succeeded 
in shaking him. 

On the 14th of July, the day after this conversation, 
Hotham had an audience with the King. He began by 
saying that England was quite ready to agree to all the 
King's conditions, and to further all his objects, but that 



120 MEMOIRS OF THE 



Ms King did not doubt that my father would be ready on 
his part to sacrifice Grrumkow ; and Hotham thereupon 
showed the King Grrumkow's intercepted letters. My father 
took the letters, white with rage, and threw them in Hotham's 
face, asking whether he expected him to kick him if he only 
lifted up one foot, with which remark he left the room, 
furiously banging the door behind him. Hotham left the 
Castle no less angry, a circumstance which, to people ac- 
quainted with English temper, speaks for itself. He at once 
sent for the Danish and Dutch Envoys, told them of all that 
happened, and declared that he considered all negotiations 
broken off, and that he would leave Berlin next morning. 
It was only with the greatest trouble that these gentlemen 
induced Hotham to postpone his departure for a few days. 

The King had no sooner reached his own room than he 
began bitterly to regret what he had done, foreseeing the 
results. He was in perfect despair. The Queen was informed 
of what had occurred, by a note which Hotham wrote to 
Mademoiselle von Biilow. It is needless to say how greatly 
distressed she was at it. At last we went to dinner. The 
King spoke little, and seemed very much put out. As soon 
as dinner was over, he sent for the Danish and Dutch Envoys, 
and asked their aid as mediators between him and Hotham. 
During the rest of this day, which was spent in perpetual 
" goings and comings," the King did nothing but torment 
my mother by saying that all negotiations with England 
were broken off. That as he did not any longer know "with 
what sauce to serve me," I had better become Abbess of 
Herfort. My mother answered that she should be quite 
satisfied with this. The King, therefore, wrote to the Mar- 
gravine Philip, who was at this time the Abbess of Herfort, 
begging her to give me the post which my youngest sister 
there had. That she readily met the King's wishes, is almost 
unnecessary to state. 

As the King became aware that all his endeavoiu-s to 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 



121 



pacify Hotham had been un availing, lie now desired the two 
Envoys to offer him an ample apology in his name. My 
brother, who heard of this from M. von Lovner, at once wrote 
word to my mother, mentioning at the same time that Lovner 
had begged him to write to the English Envoy, entreating 
him to accept the King's excuse. The Queen entirely ap- 
proved of this suggestion, and my brother wrote as follows : — 

" Sir, 

"I have heard from M. von Lovner of the King's latest 
proposals, and feel sure that you will agree to them. You 
will no doubt remember that the whole of my sister's future 
happiness and my own, as well as that of the two houses, 
depend on your answer. I feel convinced that your reply 
will fulfil our expectations, and that you will yield to our 
entreaties. I shall never forget the gratitude I shall owe 
you for this service rendered by you : it will be life-long. 
" I remain always, Sir, 

" Your well-wisher and sincere friend." 

Katt was sent with this letter to Hotham. The Queen 
had grown very fond of Katt, in consequence of my brother's 
constant, earnest recommendations. Half an hour later my 
brother received the following answer from Hotham : — 

'' Sir, 

" M. de Katt has just given me your E-oyal Highness' 
letter. I am most grateful for the confidence expressed in 
me. n this whole business concerned me only, I should 
leave no stone unturned to prove the devotion and respect 
I bear your Eoyal Highness and your wishes. But the 
insult which has been ojffered me touches the King my master, 
and for this reason I cannot give way to your Royal High- 
ness' request. I shall endeavour to place the whole subject 
in the best possible light, and although the negotiations 



122 MEMOIRS OF THE 



have been for the present broken off, I trust that they are 
not so finally. 

" I remain, Sir, 

" Etc., etc., etc." 

How greatly this answer grieved the Queen will easily be 
understood. My brother threw his head up in the air, 
saying, " After all, the misfortune is not so great," then 
turning to me, he continued, "You had better become Abbess, 
for then you will have nothing more to fear from the Duke 
of Weissenf els or the Margrave of Schwedt. It is really not 
worth while for the Queen to make such an ado about the 
business. I am sick and tired of the whole concern. Do 
you do what you like. I have nothing more to reproacli 
myself with on your account. I have done all I can to see 
you settled in England, and now the time has come to think 
of myself. Tears and entreaties are no longer of any use : 
I have suffered enough. You must see how you can get on 
alone." These words, which he uttered in a very disdainful 
manner, hurt me extremely. I endeavoured at first to pacify 
him with gentle words, but his answers were so curt and 
rude, that I at last grew angry, and said some sharp things 
before we parted. 

My brother was to accompany the King early next 
morning to Anspach. In spite of my anger with him, 
I determined to make one last effort to dissuade him from 
carrying out his long well-considered plan. I loved him 
also far too dearly to be long angry with him. I conse- 
quently began a fresh conversation with him after dinner. 
His answers, however, remained cold and curt. At last he 
said, "I don't know why you torment me so to give you 
my word of honour to return. Who has told jou. that I 
meditate flight ? I have been thinking about it, and have 
given up the plan." The King entered the room at this 
moment, so I was unable to say anything, and merely 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 123 

embraced my brother, wlio whispered to me that he would 
probably come and see me. I waited for him in my room 
a whole hour. At last a note was brought me from him 
by his valet, full of excuses and assurances of his affection. 

This valet was a young man who had always served him, 
and had studied with him. He was clever, and had till now 
been most constant in his fidelity and devotion to him. He 
imfortunately fell in love with one of the Queen's maids, 
a sworn enemy of Ramon's. As my brother was so fond 
of this young man, he allowed him to marry. No sooner 
had he done so, than Ramen tried to induce his wife, by 
means of every kind of flattery at her disposal, to persuade 
her husband to betray his master to the King. She allowed 
herself to be entrapped by this Megaera's soft words, and 
succeeded in making her husband one of the King's spies. 
My brother had as yet observed nothing of this, but at last 
he learnt the truth in the cruellest manner. 

The King left for Anspach the following day. The 
conversation with my brother, his manner and his answers, 
made me so nervous that I could not sleep all night. I spent 
it in talking with Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld, and in crying 
bitterly, for we were both prepared for some great sorrow 
and trouble. 

On the following day Hotham sent my mother Grrumkow's 
letters, which she communicated to me after having read 
them. There were six or seven of them. Three of them 
were written in the month of February, when my mother 
Tvas so dangerously ill. In each of these he says : " Every- 
body is speaking of the Queen's serious illness. It is mere 
pretence, assumed for the purpose of softening the King of 
England's heart. She is as well as a fish in water " (this is 
his own expression). "If possible, let the King know this. 
I have again got posts for two of my creatures, so as to be able 
to play upon the Crown Prince. Please continue to inform 
me of all the sly games going on at your Court." In 



124 MEMOIRS OF THE 



anotlier letter Grriimkow writes : "I have settled with the 
friend" (this was Seckendorf) "that he is to tell the King that 
the Crown Prince corresponds with the English Court. 
Write me a letter about this whicli I can show to the fat one " 
(this was the King). "Don't be afraid, I will support you, 
and will take care we are not found out, for I can do what 
I like with him" (the King). And then he always ended 
with the same refrain, " the Queen is as well in health as a 
fish in water." In the month of March Grrumkow wrote : 
" The measures taken by the Prince of Wales surprise me 
greatly. What in the world, dear Eeichenbach, does 
Hotham's mission mean ? Why do they give themselves 
so much trouble about marrying a Princess who is as ugly 
as the devil, besides being copper-coloured, disgusting, and 
silly ? I cannot understand how this Prince, who has free 
choice, can be satisfied with such a moon-calf. I pity him 
with all my heart, he ought to be spoken to about it. I 
leave this to you." All the rest of the letters were written 
in the same strain. 

The Queen received company three times a week at 
Monbijou. This was a little garden just outside the town, 
which she had herself laid out and beautified. Grrumkow 
constantly appeared here, and showed by his demeanour that 
he was in greater favour than ever. 

One day Katt came to me and asked me if I had any 
message for my brother. He was sending him a messenger, 
and the opportunity was quite a safe one. I replied that 
I was surprised at his venturing to do this, for if the King 
found it out it would cost him his whole happiness, and only 
cause my brother worry and annoyance. I, at any rate, 
would not entrust anything to this messenger, A few days 
later Mademoiselle von Biilow, and a few other well-inten- 
tioned people, came to me and told me that Katt was saying 
everywhere that the Crown Prince was thinking of flight. 
That he had at the same time boasted of his influence and 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 125 

of the great favour in which he was held by his master, and 
that he had said all this in the presence of persons there was 
reason to suspect. He had also sho^^Ti about a beautiful 
snuff box he had with the Crown Prince's portrait and 
my own on the lid, and had given himself airs which did 
not at all become him. I was of opinion that the Queen 
should be told of Katt's behaviour, first of all in order to 
cause him to be silent, and secondly to get the snuff box out 
of his hands. My mother was very angry when she heard 
of it, and desired Mademoiselle von Billow to get the snuif 
box with the miniature from Katt, and to tell him of her 
extreme displeasure. He obstinately refused to give up the 
box, but promised not to show it about any more. He 
confessed to Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld that he had copied 
my portrait from one my brother had of me, and which he 
had given him to take care of for him. After this occurrence 
neither my mother nor I could any longer endure Katt. 
One morning when I woke I saw Eamen enter my room. 
She said she came purposely to speak with me and to confide 
something to me which she had on her mind. Mademoiselle 
von Sonnsfeld wished to retire, but she begged her to remain 
in the room, as what she had to say concerned her. " You 
are distressed," she began, " that the Queen shows you so 
little affection. Thank Grod that it is so, for to be in her 
favour is enough to ensm-e your dismissal. I happily have 
nothing to fear, for I am quite safe. I know quite well that 
you are aware of all my double-dealings, and therefore I will 
not pretend to deny them ; but beware if you speak to the 
Queen about them : I shall certainly take my revenge. You 
need be under no illusion : the King shall hear of it at once, 
and his anger will know no bounds. The Queen, on the 
other hand, is no great genius, and I should soon make her 
believe that all you had told her was slander, and I should 
manage it in such a way that all the harm you wished to do 
me would fall back on yourself. Dreadful things will take 



126 MEMOIRS OF THE 



place here, aEcl you will have much sorrow. I advise you 
to make up your mind to accept the Duke of Weissenfels. 
After all it is not such a very important matter to get 
married. I know the Uueen : she will take comfort at last, 
and the King will look kindly on you, and then everything 
else will come right." 

If I had dared I would have thrown this insolent woman 
out of the windov/ : as it was I had to control my anger and 
deal gently with her. I understood her words at once, and 
alas ! all came but too true. 

But to return to Grrumkow. His fate was that of those 
who have to reproach themselves. At times his conscience 
pricked him, and he became morose. The following Sunday 
he was, as well as myself, to take the Holy Communion, and 
had had the Court Chaplain, Jablousky, all day with him. 
I had so much to think of all day that I sat down quietly in 
the garden near Mademoiselle von Biilow to let my melan- 
choly thoughts have free course. To our great surprise 
Grrumkow joined us there, and began holding forth to us. His 
moral reflections sounded to me like words from the Bible in 
the mouth of the Devil. I did not wish to get up at once 
and leave my seat, but as I knew the Queen's mistrust, I 
broke off the conversation and returned to the house. He 
followed me all the way, and at last said, that it had grieved 
him extremely to see us treated so unkindly by the King ; 
yet, he said, he thought the Prince should give way more to 
his father's wishes, and then he began a long speech in my 
brother's praise. I walked on faster and faster, but he would 
not let himself be disturbed, and continued, saying that, as 
I had so much influence with my brother, I could surely 
recall him to a sense of his duty. He was an amiable Prince, 
but was unfortunately in bad hands. I answered Grumkow 
that I knew perfectly what were the duties of children 
towards their parents : if my brother followed my advice, 
he would never fail in any of them, and would always obey 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 127 

the King's orders as soon as he knew what they were. He 
wanted to answer me, but at this moment, to my great joy, 
some ladies met ns, and put an end to the conversation. 
M. Jablousky has since told me that Grrumkow had been in 
a strange state of excitement all that day, and everything 
he said to him on that occasion was in connection with later 
events. 

That same evening — it was the 12th of August — as my 
mother was sitting near Mademoiselle von Biilow, and taking 
off her head-dress, they heard a terrible noise in my mother's 
boudoir. This room was beautifully decorated . with china, 
some pieces being most rare, and embossed with crystal and 
precious stones. All the crown plate, too, and my mother's 
jewel case, were kept in this room. The Queen at once 
exclaimed that all her china had been broken, and that it 
must be looked after. Mademoiselle von Biilow and three 
maids immediately entered the boudoir, but they found 
everything in order and nothing broken. The noise was 
repeated three times, and they also heard a great disturbance 
in the corridor connecting the King and Queen's rooms, at 
the end of which sentinels were always posted. The Queen 
said, " I cannot stand this, I must go and see myself what is 
the matter." Upon this the Queen, Mademoiselle von Biilow, 
and the maids, each took a candle and stepped out into the 
corridor. As they did so they heard sighing and groaning 
close to them, but could discover nobody. They asked the 
sentinels if they had seen anything, and they answered no, 
but that they had heard the same noise. My mother, who 
was very courageous, caused every nook and corner to be 
searched, even the King's rooms, but nothing whatever was 
discovered. My mother and those that were present with 
her on this occasion gave me an account of everything next 
day. 

A few days afterwards the Queen gave a concert. I 
generally accompanied on the piano and guitar, and every 



128 



MEMOIRS OF THE 



amateur in Berlin was present. When I had played long 
enough, I rose to go into another room where some ladies 
were playing at cards. I was suddenly stopped by Katt, 
who said to me, " For Grod's sake, and for the love you bear 
your brother, listen to me for a moment. I am distracted : 
I have been calumniated to the Queen and to yourself, and 
you have been made to believe that I have put the idea of 
flight into the Crown Prince's head. I swear to your Eoyal 
Highness by all that is most holy, the whole plan was settled 
long before I knew anything of it. You can assure the 
Queen most emphatically from me that I have written to him, 
and told him that, if he carried out his intention, I shall not 
follow him. But there is nothing to fear this time, I will 
answer for it Tsith my head." 

" I already see your head shaking," I replied, " and fear 
it will soon be lying at your feet. What pleasure can it have 
afforded you to have proclaimed everywhere that my brother 
had the intention of taking flight ? And who allowed you 
to have a snufi* box with my portrait on it ? " 

Katt then answered me, " As regards your first question, I 
merely mentioned your brother's idea to M. von Lovner, and a 
few others whom I knew I could trust ; then as to your 
second remark, I did not think it such a serious matter to 
have shown a portrait of you, which I had myself painted." 

" You are playing a dangerous game," I replied, " and I 
fear that I shall prove but too true a prophet." 

He grew very pale, and answered, " Well, if misfortune is to 
be my fate, then it mil be in a good cause, and I know that 
the Crown Prince mil never desert me." 

This was my last conversation mth Katt, and I never saw 
him again. I had not thought that I could so truly have 
foretold what was in store for liim, and I said it then only to 
make him more modest and discreet. 

The next day was the 15th August, the King's bii'thday, 
and everyone came to congratulate my mother. On such 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 129 

occasions the Court Avas very numerously attended. I had 
another long conversation with Grrumkow. He had got rid 
of his fit of moroseness, and held forth at length on my 
father's many great qualities. He finished up the conversation 
by saying, "I shall soon have an opportunity of proving to your 
Eoyal Highness how truly I am devoted to you." He said 
this in such a marked manner that I could not make out what he 
meant by it. Mademoiselle von Biilow was on such a good 
footing with him., that she teased him on every possible 
occasion. Sometimes the jokes went too far, so that I 
cautioned her to be careful, but her great vivacity carried her 
beyond herself. On the present occasion she and Grrumkow 
Avere as usual having a friendly altercation, but he wound 
up the dispute by using almost the same words as he had 
addressed to me, " You will shortly find out how true a friend 
of yours I am." 

The Queen had prepared a fete at Monbijou for the next 
day, which was to be a surprise for us all. It was also to 
celebrate a second time the King's birthday. I shall never 
forget this day. My mother had arranged the supper-table 
most beautifully, and "each guest found a charming little present 
under his napkin. We were all in the highest spirits, except 
Countess Finkenstein and Mademoiselle von Biilow, who 
never uttered a word. After supper, there was a ball, and as 
I loved dancing, I enjoyed myself to my heart's content. 
Mademoiselle von Biilow said several times, "It is late, I 
vdsh the dancing would stop ! " to which I replied, *' Oh, do 
let me have the pleasure of dancing as long as possible. I 
shall not so soon have the opportunity again." " That is 
very likely," she answered. At the end of half-an-hour, she 
touched my arm and said, " Do put an end to the ball, you 
have danced quite enough. You are so engrossed by it that 
you neither see nor hear." " But what is the matter ? " I 
answered in great astonishment. *'Look at your mother," 
Mademoiselle von Biilow said, pointing to the Queen, who 

K 



I'jO MEMOIES OF THE 



was standing in a comer of the room, talking in wliispers to 
Countess Finkenstein, Madame von Konnken, and Mademoi- 
selle Ton Sonnsfeld. All four were pale as death, and showed 
symptoms of the greatest alarm. I asked at once what was 
the matter, and if it concerned my brother. Mademoiselle 
Ton Billow shrugged her shoulders and said she knew 
nothing. The Queen at last took leaTe of the company and 
got into her carriage with me, hut she ncTer spoke one word 
the whole way home. My heart began beating furiously : I 
was in a terrible state of agitation, and yet I dared not ask 
her a single C[uestion. 

Xo sooner had I reached my room than I tormented 
Mademoiselle Ton Sonnsfeld to tell me what had happened. 
•• You will learn it but too soon," she replied. Yet as she 
saw the state of mind in which I was, she continued, '' The 
Queen was anxious not to disturb your rest, and has there- 
fore forbidden me to mention anything of what has oc- 
curred.'' As, howcTer, she now saw in what great distress 
I was, she thought it better to tell me the truth than to let 
me suppose cTen worse news. She then proceeded to say 
that the King had sent a messenger to the Mistress of the 
Eobes, Madame Ton Konnken, to tell her he had been obliged 
to arrest the Crown Prince, as he had diseoTered his intention 
of taking flight. Madame Ton Konnken was to tell this to 
the Queen, as he wished to spare her health, and she was to 
giTe her the enclosed letter. " The Crown Prince was 
arrested on the 11th," Mademoiselle Ton Sonnsfeld continued, 
" the Tery same day on which the Queen heard all that noise 
in the corridor." I thought I must haTe fainted on hearing 
all this. My grief about my brother knew no bounds, and I 
spent a terrible night. 

Early next morning my mother at once sent for me, and 
showed me the King's letter, which had evidently been 
written in the first heat of passion. " I haTe arrested and 
imprisoned the scoundrel (Schurke), and shaU treat him as 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIRETJTH. 131 



Ms crime and cowardice deserve. I no longer acknowledge 
him as my son. He has cast dishonour on me as well as on 
my family. Such a wretch as he is does .not deserve to 
live." My mother and I were beside oui'selves with misery. 

The Queen then told me that Katt had been secretly 
arrested next day, and all his papers and possessions seized. 
Marshal Natzmer had been entrusted with this task. 

As this whole occurrence sounds very strange, I must try 
and explain it all. Grrumkow had been in possession of the 
fact of the Crown Prince's arrest since the 15th, and could 
not resist telling several people of his great satisfaction at it. 
M. von Lovner, the Danish Envoy, had been informed by his 
spies of the probable arrest of Katt, and had written liim, a 
note advising him to fly before it was too late. Katt accord- 
ingly went next morning to Marshal Natzmer and asked leave 
to go to Priedrichsfelde, where the Margrave Albert had 
invited liim to dinner. As Natzmer had not then received 
any orders from the King, he gave him permission to go. 
Katt had ordered a saddle to be made on purpose for him, in 
which he could put money and papers and even clothes. This 
saddle was unfortunately not quite finished, and this delayed 
his departure ; and he employed the time he was kept waiting 
in burning letters and papers. Just as he was about to mount 
his horse Marshal Natzmer appeared and desired him to give 
up his sword. Natzmer had waited three hours after 
receiving the King's orders to arrest Katt, in order to give the 
unfortunate young man a chance of escape, and was therefore 
not a little surprised when he still found him in Berlin. 

When my mother had somewhat recovered from her first 
burst of grief, she asked me if I had known of my brother's 
intentions. I answered in the afiirmative, and then proceeded 
to tell her everything that had passed on the subject, saying 
that I had not told her anything of it that she might not be 
involved if he did carry out his plan, but that after what Katt 
had lately told me, I had not been in the least prepared for 

K 2 



132 MEMOIRS OF THE 



this catastrophe. "But what has he done with our letters ? " 
the Queen said. "We are lost if they are discovered." 
"I have often spoken to him about this," I answered, "and he 
has always assured me that he had destroyed them." " But 
I know him better," my mother replied, "and I am sure they 
are among Katt's papers." " That is possible," I said, "and 
if so, then my head is in danger." " And mine too," the 
Queen answered. "I have sent for Countess Tinkenstein 
and Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld, to consult -^ith them as to 
what can be done." And we really heard next day that all 
my brother's papers were amongst Katt's things. The officers 
who had been present when these were seized, described to me 
all the different boxes, and I recognized from the description 
the casket which contained our letters. After much con- 
sideration, the Queen determined to seek the aid of her 
chaplain, Eeinbeck, in this matter. He was to ask Natzmer 
to find some means of getting the casket out of Katt's house. 
Eeinbeck was unfortunately ill, and could not come. These 
letters were of the utmost importance to us. In several of 
them I had expressed myself in very strong terms about the 
King. I repeat it here again — that I have reproached 
myself over and over again for having been wanting in 
respect towards him. In spite of my sharp words, I loved 
my father dearly, and it was more from a desire to show off 
my cleverness than from any evil motive that I ^Tote about 
him as I did. But to return to my subject. 

Next morning Countess Finkenstein came to my room in 
a great state of alarm, exclaiming, "I am lost. Yesterday 
on my return from the Queen I found a casket sealed ^ith 
Katt's arms, addressed to the Queen at my house, accompanied 
by this note." She gave it to me to read, and its contents 
were as follows. " Pray have the goodness to dehver this 
casket into the Queen's hands, it contains her correspondence 
and the Princess's mtli the Crown Prince." " Four trusty 
friends brought the box and letter to my servants," Countess 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 133 

rinkenstein contmiied, "I do not know what I am to decide 
on doing. Am I to say anything to the Queen about it, or 
shall I send it to the King ? If I do this last, then I may be 
certain of sharing Katt's fate ? " We teased and begged her 
so long that she consented, although in fear and trembling, to 
speak with the Queen about it. My mother was greatly 
relieved at this good news, till she reflected where she was to 
hide the casket. If we made a mystery about it, and Katt 
were to mention it during the enquiry held on his conduct, 
then Countess Finkenstein would be ruined, and my mother 
would lay herself open to every kind of suspicion, and con- 
sequently would be exposed to the King's fury. If on the 
other hand the casket were brought openly to the Queen, 
then my father would hear of it, and he would force the 
Queen to give up these luckless letters to him, by doing 
which she would herself work her own destruction. 

After due consideration, and weighing carefully all the 
advantages and disadvantages, it was decided to make no 
mystery of the matter, and the casket was brought to the 
Queen, who locked it up in her boudoir in the presence of all 
her household. 

No sooner had one difficulty been surmounted than another 
presented itself. The question now was to destroy the letters. 
The Queen was of opinion that they had best be burnt, and 
the King told quite simply that they were of no importance 
of any kind, and that she had not thought it necessary to 
show them to him. This proposition, however, met with 
general disapproval, and the whole day was spent in useless 
discussion. The next day I and Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld 
again carefully considered what could be done. At last I 
said, " I have thought of a last resource, but we must be 
careful that we risk nothing. The seal on the casket is only 
of leather ; we must break it, break the lock, take out our 
letters and write others, which we must put in the casket in 
their stead. I think we shall hardly need even to break the 



134 MEMOIRS OF THE 



seal, and if the Queen will only promise solemnly not to say 
anything to Eamen about it, I will at once set to work."" 
Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld entirely approved of my idea, and 
we proposed its execution to the Queen, who agreed. "We 
explained to her how all-important it was to keep it a pro- 
found secret from Eamen, who saw so many people, and 
might let drop a word which would at once rouse suspicion. 
The Queen promised to say nothing to her about it, and kept 
her word. That afternoon she sent all her ladies away and 
kept me alone with her. As the casket was too heavy for the 
Queen and me to lift, we had to take her page into our con- 
fidence, but we ran no risk in doing so, for he was an old, tried 
and faithful servant. It was not possible to undo the cords 
which were tied round the casket without breaking the seal,, 
and this necessity made us tremble. However, when we 
came to examine the seal we found it a very simple one. 
The arms on it were composed of a dog surrounded by 
implements of war, and we thought we might easily find one 
like it, and as good luck would have it, the Queen's page's 
own seal was very similar to it. "We broke open the lock and 
began our examination of the letters. 

The sight of them caused me a deadly fear. I had often 
secretly written to my brother, and to escape discovery in 
case the letters fell into the King's hands, we had used 
lemon- juice instead of ink. If you held the letter close to 
the fire you could decipher the writing. My letters contained, 
chiefly, abuse of Eamen, and complaints of her influence over 
the Queen. The effect these letters would produce on my 
mother, if she read them, would be anything but pleasant for 
me. And this would have happened had not the chaplain, 
Eeinbeck, been announced to her at this moment, and ex- 
tricated me from the difiiculty. As the Queen had sent for 
Eeinbeck some days previously, she could not do othermse 
than receive him. My mother was so nervous at all that was 
taking place, that she said to me as she left the room, " For 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 135 

goodness' sake burn every single one of tliese horrid letters." 
I did not require to be told this twice, and all my letters, five 
hundred in number, fell a prey to the flames. I then next 
destroj'-ed my mother's letters, and had just finished my task 
when she returned. We then proceeded to look through the 
other papers. We found two French passports made out in 
the name of Ferrand, a letter from my brother to Katt, and 
some quite unimportant papers. Then we lighted on a bag 
with a thousand pistoles,* some notes and meditations in my 
brother's handwriting, and some jewels in gold, as also in 
precious stones. 

His letter to Katt was written as follows : ''I am leaving, 
dear Katt, and have taken such precautions that I risk 
nothing. I go first to Leipsic, where I shall give myself out 
a Marquis d' Ambreville. Keith is already informed of all, 
and goes straight to England. Don't lose any time, for I 
hope to find you at Leipsic. Grood-bye ! Be of good 
courage." We thought it best to burn all these things. For 
several days we were busily occupied in writing letters with 
different dates. But how could we possibly manage to write 
twelve or fifteen hundred of these missives ? We therefore 
took sheets of paper with the dates of different years, and 
folded them so tightly together that the Devil even would 
have noticed nothing. Yet, in spite of all our trouble, the 
casket was still so empty that that would have betrayed us, 
so my mother filled it up with a quantity of snuff boxes and 
other knick-knacks. I did not like this, and offered to write 
a hunched more letters, but the Queen would not hear of it. 
We therefore replaced the lock and fastened up the casket, 
and no one could ever have discovered that it had been 
tampered with. 

The King arrived on the evening of the 27th, his household 
having preceded him. We asked in vain after my brother 

* A gold coin of the value of about fifteen shillings. 



136 MEMOIRS or THE 



nobodj could give us any news of him, or knew where he 
was. They could only teE. us of the circumstances and 
manner of his arrest. As this account tallies with aU my 
brother has since told us about it, I think it T^ill be well if I 
repeat it here. 

When my brother arriyed at Anspach he complained bitterly 
to the Margrave of the ill-usage he received at the Xing's 
hands. He added, that not satisfied with abusing him before 
his family he had publicly insulted him, and had on several 
occasions even said to him, " If my father treated me as I do 
you, / should have run away a thousand times over. But you, 
you are such an arrant coward, you have courage for nothing." 
This reiterated remark at last determined my brother on 
carrying out his intention. He asked the Margrave to lend 
hi-m his fastest horse, saying he wished to go for a ride, but 
as the former knew nothing of my brother's plan, he put off 
the ride tiU after the King's departare. As my brother saw 
his first attempt thwarted, he thought of another. Katt's 
messenger met my brother a few miles beyond Anspach. I 
knew of this messenger, but I have never learned what the 
contents of the letters he brought were. He answered at 
once, that he intended to take flight two days later, and that 
he advised him to do the same : they would meet at the 
Hague. My brother again assured Katt that his plan would 
certainly succeed. If he were pursued, he could then take 
refuge in the monasteries which were on his road. He sent 
this answer back by the same messenger. The Crown Prince 
had unfortimately forgotten to adcbess the letter to BerHn. 
A cousin of Katt's was stationed ten or twelve miles* from 
Anspach, and the messenger instead of going on to Berlin 
delivered the letter to this officer. 

The King meanwhile had continued his journey to the 
neighbourhood of Frankfort, and foimd himself compelled 



* 20 or 24 English miles. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREIJTH. 



with liis suite to spend tlie night in some barns in a small 
village. The Crown Prince had a barn appropriated to him, 
in which he, Colonel Eochow, and his valet were to sleep. 
The King had made Keith's brother his page. This yonng 
man was very stupid, so that my brother had said nothing to 
him of his intentions. He determined, however, to take 
advantage of this lad's stupidity, and told him to wake him 
at four in the morning, as he wished to go to the neighbour- 
ing village in quest of adventures ; also to get him horses, 
which was an easy thing, as a horse fair was being held close 
by. The page did as he was told, but mistook the bed, and 
woke the valet instead of the Crown Prince. This man had 
presence of mind enough to pretend that he had not observed 
anything, so he lay quiet, watching the course of events. 
My brother rose hastily, dressed himself in a French uniform, 
instead of his own, and left the barn. The valet instantly 
told Eochow what he had seen, and he rushed to the King's 
generals and suite and told them of it. These were Grenerals 
Bedenbruck, Waldow, and Derchow. The last named was a 
thorough scoundrel, and as true a son of Satan as ever walked 
this earth : he was, besides, a sworn enemy to my brother. 
These four gentlemen at once went out to look for the 
Prince, and after having searched the village thoroughly, 
found him on the market-place, leaning against a carriage. 
His French uniform startled them at once, and they asked 
liim, at first respectfully, what he was doing there. My 
brother has often told me since that his despair and fury at 
having been discovered were so great that, but that he had 
no arms, he would have attempted violence. He answered 
them very brusquely. " Sir," they said, " the King is awake, 
and intends starting in half an hour: for goodness' sake 
change your clothes before he sees you." The Prince refused 
to do so, and said he was going for a walk, and would be 
back before the King left. They were still disputing when 
Keith appeared with the horses. My brother endeavoured to 



138 MEMOIRS or THE 



jump on one of them, bat the gentlemen surrounded Mm, and 
took Mm back to the bam, where they forced him to change 
his uniform. His state of mind resembled that of a madman. 
Thej reached Frankfort that evening, and next morning the 
King received a messenger sent by Katt's cousin, sending him 
my brother's letter. The King at once summoned Eochow 
and Waldow, and communicated this beautiful news to 
them. It is said that the valet had abeady told my father 
of the scene enacted that morning. 

The King desired the two gentlemen to watch my brother, 
and to answer for him with their lives. He then commanded 
the Crown Prince to be immediately brought on board the 
yacht on which they were going from Frankfort to Wesel, and 
his orders were at once obeyed. This was the 11th August. 

My father came on board the yacht next morning. As 
soon as he caught sight of my brother he sprang upon him, 
and would have throttled him had not Greneral "Waldow 
liberated him. The King tore my brother's hair out in 
handfuls, and in one moment beat him till he bled. At 
length the entreaties of the gentlemen prevailed on the King- 
to allow the Crown Prince to be removed to another vessel. 
They took his sword from him, and all his clothes, but 
discovered no papers of any kind, for the valet had taken 
possession of these before the search commenced, and burnt 
them in my brother's presence. In doing this he had ren- 
dered my mother and myself a signal service. Nothing 
further of importance took place during the journey. The 
King never saw my brother, but swore he shoid.d die, an 
oath which he repeated constantly. 

My brother meanwhile tried his utmost to discover some 
means of eluding the watchfulness of the two gentlemen. 

In this manner "Wesel was at last reached. The King- 
strengthened the watch put on the Prince by adding a com- 
pany of soldiers, and treated him like a State prisoner. The 
next day he sent for my brother. There was nobody present 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 139 

with the King but General Mosel, a brave officer, and a most 
upright man. 

At first my father asked my brother in a furious tone why 
he wished " to desert :" this was his own expression. " Why 
did I wish to do so ? " the Prince rephed in a firm, calm 
voice, " because you do not treat me like your son, but like a 
slave." " You are a mean deserter, you have neither courage 
nor honour," the King screamed at him. 

*' I have as much as you have," the Prince answered, " and 
I have only done that which, as you yourself told me, a 
hundred times over, you would have done, had you been in 
my place." This answer, and the voice in which it was 
made, drove the King into a perfect frenzy. He drew his 
sword, and would have pierced my brother through with it, 
had not Greneral Mosel thrown himself between them. This 
honest man called out, " My Sovereign, kill me, but spare 
your son." He defended my brother so well with his own 
person that the King could not strike at him. Prom that day 
my father and my brother were never allowed to meet. It 
was represented to the King that my brother's life was at all 
times in his power, but that such behaviour was opposed to 
all the principles of Christianity. Upon this the King never 
asked again to see his son. 

A few days only were spent at Wesel, and the journey w^as 
then continued to Berlin. My brother — this was the King's 
order — was to follow in four days. ' My father, who did not 
sufficiently trust his two Arguses, appointed a third, Greneral 
Dostow, who was as great a scoundrel as Derchow. In spite 
of the King's orders, Waldow and Eochow allowed the Crown 
Prince to receive visits. In that part of the country my 
brother was adored : his generosity, courtesy, and goodness 
had won him all hearts. The cruel treatment he had received 
from the King was an excuse for everything, but at the same 
time made all tremble for his life. He had found numbers 
of people who would gladly have risked their lives to set him 



140 MEMOIRS or THE 



at liberty. Eopes had already been brougbt him, by which 
to let himself down from the windows, and a disguise in 
the shape of a peasant's dress in which to escape, when 
Greneral Dostow's appearance spoilt all his plans. As Dostow 
was a great favourite with the King, and was anxious to pay 
him as much court as possible, he offered to take the sole 
watch over the Prince, pretending that he wished to lighten 
Waldow and Eochow's work. From this time forward my 
brother was so incessantly watched that it was quite impos- 
sible to try to think of escaping. He started four days after 
the King, and was by his orders taken to some place six or 
seven miles beyond Berlin. 

After the King's arrival, the Queen went alone to see him 
in his room. As soon as he saw her he said in a furious 
tone, " Your son is dead," and then at once, " Where is the 
casket with the letters ? " 

My poor mother cried out in great distress, saying how was 
it possible to believe that he could have made his son a victim 
of his " barbarous " fury. 

" He is dead," the King repeated, " and I will have the 
casket." The Queen fetched it, and as she brought it called 
out, " Oh, my God, my God ! " I heard these lamentations, 
which pierced me through and through. The King had 
scarcely got hold of the casket when he broke it open and tore 
the papers out of it, and therewith left the room. The Queen 
lost not a moment in taking possession of the seals and what- 
ever else there was which could rouse suspicion, and gave them 
to me to burn. My mother afterwards came and told us all 
that had passed between her and the King. God alone knows 
what I endured during this terrible tale, and I burst out 
crying violently. 

At this moment my father entered the room. In the 
terrible state of uncertainty in which we were as to my 
brother's fate, I did not know what I had best do. My 
sisters and I approached the King to kiss his hand, but he 



MARGRAVINE OF EATREUTH. 141 

had no sooner canglit siglit of me than he became black with 
rage, and hit me so violently in the face, one blow striking 
my temple, that I fell insensible to the ground. The King 
wanted to kick me and repeat his blows, but the Queen and 
my sisters surrounded me like a wall, and prevented his 
touching me. One of my sisters, seeing me lying as it were 
lifeless, fetched a glass of water with a little spirits, to try 
and restore me to consciousness. The King was struggling 
meanwhile with my defenders, and prevented my being 
lifted up from the ground. After much rubbing and 
smelling strong salts, I recovered sufficiently to be placed 
on a stool which stood in the window. How gladly I would 
have remained in my unconscious condition ! It is impossible 
for me to describe our despairing condition. The King was 
almost choked with rage, and had a wild look in his eyes, 
while his face was red and swollen and his mouth foaming. 
The Uueen was crying and wringing her hands. My 
sisters were kneeling at my father's feet, even our little 
tiny sister of three years old, all sobbing bitterly. Madame von 
Konnken and Mademoiselle von Sonnsf eld stood there pale as 
death, unable to speak, and I — I was in the very depths of 
despair. I was shivering from head to foot, and a cold 
perspiration poured off my face. My father now said 
that my brother was not dead, but that " by all holy angels " 
he would kill him ! These reiterated assertions roused me 
from my lethargy, and I cried out, " Spare my brother, and 
I will marry the Duke of Weissenfels ! " The King was 
too angry to understand what I was saying, and Mademoi- 
selle von Sonnsf eld, fearing that I should repeat these impru- 
dent words, stuffed her pocket handkerchief into my mouth 
just as I was going to do so. My father now began to abuse 
me. He said I was the cause of all the trouble that had 
fallen on us, and that I should pay for it with my head. He 
could not then have granted me a greater favour than to 
have carried out his threat. My grief was so intense that I 
would gladly have left this world. 



42 MEMOIRS OF THE 



During tliis scene I saw poor Katt being led between two 
gendarmes to the King. He looked pale and disordered, and 
as he caugbt sight of me, he took off his hat, and I observed 
his distressed and frightened expression. My brother's boxes 
and his own were carried behind him. Immediately after- 
wards the King was informed of Katt's presence, and he 
rushed off saying, " Now at last I shall have proofs enough 
against this scoundrel, Fritz, to cost him his head," The 
Mistress of the Eobes followed him sajdng, " For Grod's sake, 
if you wish to put the Crown Prince to death, at least do not 
kill the Queen. I can assure you that she has known absolutely 
nothing of the whole business, and if you are kind to her you 
may succeed in obtaining much help from her." Madame von 
Konnken then continued in another tone. "Hitherto, you 
have laid great stress on being a just and pious King, and Grod 
blessed you for it ; but now you msh to become a tjTant. 
Take heed that God's wrath does not fall on you. Sacrifice 
your son to your fury, and be sure that Grod's vengeance will 
light upon you. Remember Peter the Grreat, and Philip the 
Second : they died without heirs, and their memory is held in 
abhorrence." The King looked at her, and said, " You are 
very bold to say such things, but you are a good woman, and 
mean well. Go and calm my wife." I really admired this 
lady's courage in speaking at such a moment in the manner she 
did, because she ran the risk of being sent to Spandau. "We 
were, on the other hand, much astonished when Eamen in the 
Queen's presence insisted on having been ignorant of what 
had occmTcd. I was at last dragged out of the Queen's room, 
for I shook all over, and was incapable of walking a step. I 
was brought into an apartment into which the King never 
came. 

My father had meanwhile sent for Grumkow, Mylius, and 
Gerber to come to his room, Mylius was Fiscal-General, and 
a very bad man, and Gerber Auditor- General. As soon as 
the King entered the room, Katt threw himself on his knees 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 143 

before him. My father fell upon him, hit him with his stick, 
and treated him shamefully. The enquiry then commenced. 
Katt confessed at once that he had agreed with the Crown 
Prince about his flight, but that there had never been any 
designs against the Xing, and that their only intention had 
been to escape into England to be safe from his anger, and to 
put themselves imder English protection. On being asked 
what had become of my letters and those of my mother, he . 
answered that he had given them back to the Queen. Katt 
was then asked if I had known of the plot : his answer was 
" No." He was then questioned as to whether he had been 
entrusted with letters from the Crown Prince to me, and if I 
had ever given him any for my brother. He replied that he 
remembered giving me a letter from the Prince one Sunday 
morning as I came out of the Dom (Cathedral), but that he 
had no idea what were its contents. He had never any letters 
entrusted to him by me. Katt then confessed to having been 
several times secretly to Potsdam, where Lieutenant Span 
had let Mm into the town; that Keith knew of the plan, and 
was to have accompanied them in tlieir flight. After the 
enquiry was over, my brother's boxes and Katt's were 
searched, but not a single letter was discovered. G-rumkow, 
who had hoped to have caught us this time safely in his net, 
was in despair at this, and said to the King, "These devils of 
women are cleverer than w^e are, and have cheated us." 

The King retm'ued again to the Queen and said to her, "I 
have not made a mistake : I knew it must be so. Your 
worthless daughter has been mixed up in this plot. Katt 
has just confessed that he gave her letters from the Prince : 
I shall have her conduct rigorously inquired into ! Command 
her in my name not to leave her room. In three days I will 
have her removed to a place where she may repent of her 
misdeeds. Tell her this, and that she is to be ready to start 
as soon as her examination is closed." The King was in a 
great rage as he said this. The Queen swore that I had 



144 MEMOIRS OF THE 



never received any letter tkrough Katt, and offered to go 
and ask me about it. 

I mnst call to remembrance what I said about that letter 
wbicb I suppressed on account of Eamen. I now gave 
myself up for lost, and I was ratber glad tban otherwise. In 
order not to involve tbe Queen, I determined to brave it out 
alone, and I at once answered Madame von Konnken tbat I 
was surprised tbat my motber remembered nothing about tbe 
letter, as it bad been given me in public, and bad con- 
tained only tbe most ordinary expressions of friendship. 
I had burnt it, but I remembered every word, and, if the 
King wished, would write it all down. The Queen, to whom 
I had shown the letter, must have forgotten all about it. 

Madame von Konnken brought my answer to my father, 
who then left the room to be present at the close of Katt's 
examination. I was able to persuade my mother that she 
had read the letter, till at last she really believed she bad 
done so. The Queen now gave me the King's orders, crying 
bitterly as she did so. She impressed on me the importance 
of never mentioning the casket. *' But if I have to take an 
oath about it, what shall I do then ? " I asked her, and she 
answered tbat tbe sore straits in which we were must condone 
what, in another case, would be a grave fault. I promised 
her absolute obedience, but added, " I cannot do anything 
my conscience disapproves of. The good God will not desert 
me. I mil rather sacrifice all than expose you to danger, 
but I cannot take a false oath." "We then took leave of each 
other, my motber holding me for some time in her arms, and 
at last we parted in deep sorrow. 

The whole to^soi was horror-struck at the misery and sori'ow 
which had fallen on our family. People spoke of me and my 
fate, openly in the streets, for my mother's rooms were on the 
ground-floor, and the windows stood open, so that passers by 
must have mtnessed that terrible scene. As I was carried to 
my room that day, I bad to pass tlirough quite a crowd, who all 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 145 

were sobbing and cr}'iiig. Things were very much exaggerated, 
and in several parts of the town the rumour of my death was 
circulated, and also that of my brother, and this only tended 
to increase the general feeling of hopelessness. 

I spent a very sad night, disturbed by dark and sinister 
forebodings. Fear of death did not trouble me, and I was 
not disturbed about the journey, but what I dreaded 
beyond description was being separated from Mademoiselle 
von Sonnsfeld, and being given over into strange hands. 
These sad reflections kept me awake till the news was brought 
me in the morning that the sentinels before my room had 
been doubled. I had scarcely risen, when Ramen appeared 
and brought me a message from my mother, to the effect that 
the King would send the same people to examine me as had 
conducted Katt's enquiry, and that she begged me to be 
careful, and not to forget my promise. I was much put out at 
recei^dng such a message through so suspicious a person, who 
could at any moment, by betraying the Queen and myself to 
the King, ruin us. 

She then continued in a hypocritical tone to say that my 
mother " was in great anxiety " about my examination, and 
feared I " should not retain my firmness." " I cannot 
understand," I replied, " how the Queen can trouble herself 
about such a trivial matter. I need not be afraid, as I have 
had nothing whatever to do with the whole business, and 
if the King has me examined, I shall simply say what I 
know about it." " Yes," she answered, " and other terrible 
things are happening. Your departure is decided on, and 
you are to be taken to a convent called ' The Holy Grave.' 
There you will be kept as a State prisoner. Mademoiselle von 
Sonnsfeld and all your own people are to be taken away from 
you, and you will be much to be pitied." I replied that the 
King was my father and my master, and that he would 
decide my fate as he pleased. " I trust in Grod and in my 
innocence, and know that Providence will watch over me." 



146 MEMOIRS OF THE 



Ramen then proceeded to say, " You are only so full of 
courage because you believe these are mere threats, but I have 
seen the written order for your imprisonment, signed by the 
King himself. Besides which, you must see by all that has 
taken place that the King is in earnest. Poor Mademoiselle 
Yon Billow has received commands to leave the Court in two 
days, and to retire with her family to Lithuania. Lieutenant 
Span, who let Katt secretly into Potsdam, is cashiered, and has 
been sent to Spandau. A mistress of the Crown Prince 
who lives at Potsdam is to be flogged by the public hangman, 
and turned out of the town. Diihau (he was my brother's 
master, and devoted to him) is exiled to Memel. Jaques (his 
librarian) is also sent there, and your governness would have 
shared the same fate had she not been, as good luck would 
have it, not on good terms Avith the Queen during this last 
winter." Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld had had a quarrel with 
the Queen because she had said that she thought it had been 
a mistake to insist on Grrumkow's dismissal. It would 
have been best, in her opinion, had my marriage first been 
settled, and then the dismissal insisted on. This had annoyed 
my mother, and she had in consequence treated my governess 
rather unkindly. I do not understand how I could listen to 
all this quietly. Grod does indeed give strength in the time 
of our sorest need. My great composure saved me, and made 
this old Megoera believe that I was either innocent, or that 
nothing would shake my courage. When she had left me, I 
felt I need no longer control myself. The ruin of so 
many excellent people cut me to the heart. My brother's 
fate inspired me with deadly fear, and the separation fi'om 
Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld filled me with the bitterest 
sorrow. 

The day went by. I hourly expected my examination to 
commence, and every little sound made my heart, beat 
faster. But I waited in vain, no one appeared, and I 
began to feel calmer. My face as well as my body were so 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 147 

bruised by my fall, and I was so exhausted, tbat when the 
evening di^ew on I lay down. 

The next morning Eamen made her appearance. She 
again repeated my mother's injunctions as to courage and 
determination, and then added that my enquiry had not yet 
taken place because it had been determined to confront me 
with my brother and Katt, and that to prevent the possibility 
of any distm-bance, the Crown Prince would be brought to 
Berlin only in the dusk of the evening. I answered 
Eamen in the same way at which, the previous day, the 
Queen had been so vexed. She thought I must be so over- 
come with fear that I should lose my head and mention the 
casket, because otherwise she could not understand my 
determination to say all I knew about this sad business. In 
the afternoon she sent me her faithful old page to implore 
me not to betray anything. I confided to him in what a 
difficult position I was placed by having Eamen sent to me 
^ith such messages, and begged him to assure the Queen that 
she need fear nothing, and that I should never say anything 
which could compromise her. All I ventured to beg of her 
was not to send so often to me, as it might awaken the 
King's suspicions, but if she had any message, to send it 
through her page and not through Eamen, who knew nothing 
about the business of the letters. I was obliged to treat the 
matter from this point of view, to avoid vexing my mother. 
I know she would have been annoyed if she had found out 
that I distrusted Eamen. 

Another day passed in the same manner, and I remained 
standing at the window till one in the morning, only to have 
the comfort of seeing my brother pass by. The thought of 
seeing him made me wish ardently to be confronted with him 
at my examination. This wish was not fulfilled. My brother 
was taken to Kiistrin on the 5th of September, and shut up in 
the fortress of that place. All his household and all his 
possessions were taken from him, so that he had nothing but 

L 2 



148 MEMOIRS OF THE 



the shirt and clotlies he wore. Xobody waited on him, and 
his only means of occupation were a Bible and Prajer-Book. 

His expenditure was limited to 4d. a day. The room in 
which he was imprisoned received all its light from one tiny 
apeiiiQ^e. He had a candle only when his snpper was brought 
him at seven o'clock. All the rest of the time he had to sit 
in the dark. What an awful fate for a prince that was 
already held in such high esteem. So much soitow could 
only make him bitter and harsh. 

A short while after my brother's anival in this melancholy 
residence, the TTing sent Grumkow, Mylius, and Gerber to 
open an enquuy on him. His answers agreed with those of 
Katt, and instead of treating Gnmikow, who was guiding his 
fate, gently, the Crown Piince spoke in a most slighting 
manner to him, saying many sharp things. They then showed 
him Katt's boxes, and asked him if all the things they had 
contained were still in existence, or if any letters were missing. 
My brother, thinking Katt would , have burnt the papers, 
answered yes, but that the box contained many snuff-boxes 
and other such articles which he knew nothing of, and which 
Katt probably had put there. This answer opened theu^ eyes, 
and they discovered how they had been cheated. 

The e^il was done, and they knew that neither threats nor 
violence would ever make us divulge the contents of those 
letters. 

Dui^ing the whole examination, and also in the protocol, 
he never received his title of Eoyal Highness. Seckendorf 
and Grumkow knew perfectly well that the Prince's attempt 
at flight was but a youthful prank, and that in his position 
as Cro^TL Prince he had deserved only a reprimand : they 
therefore induced the King to treat him merely as an officer. 
During the whole trial he was always called "Colonel Fiitz," 
and in this capacity he really could be tried as a deserter. 

As soon as the inquiry was at an end, these gentlemen 
returned to Berlin, and Katt was again examined. Several 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREITTH. 149 

times the King wished him to be put on the rack, but this 
inhumanity was prevented by Greneral Wartensleben, a great 
friend of Seckendorf. 

My fate continued unchanged. Every evening I took the 
tenderest leave of Mademoiselle von Sonnsf eld and my people, 
because I could not know if I should ever see them again. 
My jewels and all my other valuables I had sent secretly to 
the Queen. I had not yet been able to make up my mind to 
burn my brother's letters. They were locked up in a little 
box which I gave my governess every evening to take to 
my youngest sister, as I knew they would not be looked for 
there. In fact, I took every possible precaution against 
being suddenly surprised. 

At last the King left Berlin, and that same evening the 
Queen came to see me. Seeing her made me beside myself 
with joy. She told me she did not now think I was to be 
taken to the convent, because the King had,' for several days, 
mentioned nothing more about it. She also said that she 
had made him less furious with my brother, as she had 
thrown all the blame on Keith. Perhaps my readers will be 
curious to know his fate. 

When my brother was arrested at Frankfort, the Prince 
of Anhalt happened to be there. Since his quarrel and rup- 
ture with Grrumkow he had greatly changed for the better. 
He never mixed himself up in intrigues, but tried to help and 
be of service to others. I had succeeded in effecting a 
reconciliation between him, my mother, and my brother. 
The Prince of Anhalt was to accompany the King to Wesel, 
and I do not know what reason made him send his page on 
before him. The first person this man saw on reaching the 
town was Keith, whom he knew well. He also knew how 
much he was in the Crown Prince's good graces. " Oh ! how 
glad I am to see you here," he exclaimed; " I thought you 
were already under lock and key." *' Wliat do you mean ? " 
said Keith, who could not understand being addressed like 



XEMOIES OF THE 



this. '''All right, '" replied the other, " don't you know that 
the Crown Prince has been arrested ? " 

Keith remained apparently unnioTed dnring this speech. 
He however broke off the conversation as soon as he could, 
mounted a horse, and left the town with all possible speed. 
He reached the Hague safelj, but only three hours before 
Colonel Diimoulin, who was sent by the King to pursue him. 
As soon as Keith arrived, he sought the protection of the 
Ensrlish Envov, Lord Chesterfield, who saw hi-m safelv on 
board the packet, despite Diinioulin's presence, and in this 
manner Keith reached England in safety. As the King now 
found it impossible to punish him, he gratified his desire for 
revenge by having Keith's effigy hung in "Wesel, and punished 
his brother for having procured horses for the Crown Prince 
without his leave, by degrading him to the rank of 
sergeant. 

In order not to interrupt my account of these terrible events, 
I left one circumstance unmentioned, which had a great 
influence on my future. Before the King left Berlin he told 
the Queen of his intention of marrying my fourth sister to the 
Hereditaiy Piince of Baireuth, and the betrothal was publicly 
announced. The Queen was much pleased at this, because she 
had feared that having once proposed this Prince to the 
Kins: for me, the question of this marriage would be brought 
forward again. Xow that my sister was thought of, her fears 
were laid to rest. 

During the short time my mother spent in Berlin she came 
daily to see me. The day before her departure, she whispered 
to me that she had been told of Prince Henry's* death. He 
was said to have died at Paris of fever. I said I was very 
sorry, as he had been a most deserving Prince. '' And I, on 
the other hand, am glad," she said, " as I always feared he 
wished to manw vou I " '' Xow, however, that he has been 



Hereditary Prince of Baireuth. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 151 

engaged to my sister," I replied, " there can be no idea of 
tliat." The Queen then took leave of me. She cried much 
as she did so, and told my sisters and her ladies to come and 
see me from time to time. She also told me to send my 
letters to her through her page's wife. My mother left 
Berlin on the 15th September. 

One day, as I was engaged in my usual occupations, my 
maid came into my room in a very agitated state. This 
maid is the same I have mentioned before, a most devoted, 
honest soul. " What is the matter ? " I said, on seeing her 
disturbed countenance. " Am I to leave ? " " No, your 
Eoyal Highness," she answered, " but I am in a great 
difficulty. A sergeant of the gendarmerie has this morning 
brought my husband a packet for you. I know that my 
husband is already looked on with suspicion, because he is 
devoted to the Crown Prince. I do not, therefore, know if 
he ought to have received the packet, the more so as I am 
not sure whether we can trust this sergeant. But I am 
ready to do whatever you desire, even at the risk of my life." 
" But do you not know what the packet contains? " I inquired, 
" and whether it is of importance ? " 

" The sergeant told my husband that it contained a 
portrait," my maid replied. Then I at once perceived that 
it was the likeness my brother had given Katt to take charge 
of for him. I felt how serious the consequences would be if 
the picture fell into my father's hands, as he would at once 
say that Katt had been my lover and had ill-used me. I 
therefore entreated my maid to bring me the packet without 
delay, which she accordingly did next day, and the whole 
chcumstance was kept secret. 

Two days after this, my maid had another fright. An 
unkno^vn person brought her a letter which enclosed one from 
my brother to me. She brought it to me at once. I could 
not receive it without feelings of the deepest emotion. The 
letter was written in pencil, and its contents read as follows. 



152 MEMOIRS OF THE 



(I have copied every word from the original, which I keep as 
a most precious relic). 

" Dear beloved Sister ! 

"I am to be declared an arch-heretic by the Court- 
martial before which I am shortly to appear. It will not 
require any great difficulty to do this. You can therefore 
imagine what a creature they are going to make me out. I 
do not in the least care about the ban which they will 
pronounce over me, if only my dear sister will not bear me 
false witness. How thankful I am that neither bolts nor 
bars can prevent my assuring you of my sincere friendship. 
Yes, dearest sister, there are still people in this almost 
depraved century, who are devoted enough to procure me the 
means of expressing my devotion to you. If I only know 
that you are happy, dear sister, then my prison will become 
an abode of contentment and satisfaction. ' Chi ha tempo, 
ha vita,' let this comfort us. I wish, with all my heart, that 
we needed no interpreter to go to and fro between us. May 
those happy hours return once more, during which your 
Principe and my Principessa (we called my guitar and his 
flute by these names) brought forth such sweet harmonies. 
To speak plainly, may I soon again be able to teU you, by 
word of mouth, that nothing in this world can ever lessen my 
affection for you. Grood-bye. 

" The Prisoner." 

This letter touched me deeply, and I cried over it. 

" How deeply I pity my poor brother," I said to 
Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld ; "he is still able to joke in the 
midst of his sore trouble. Goodness only knows what misery 
is in store for him. I must answer him. You wiU. not 
forbid my having this comfort? The same person who 
brought me his letter so safely will find means of letting my 
answer reach him." 

Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld did not wish at once to damp 



MARGKAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 153 

my joy, but by degrees she made me uuderstand the great 
danger I exposed myself to if I carried out my intention of 
writing. 

The Court-martial assembled on the 1st November. As 
my governess was aware of the agitated state I was in, she 
hid this news from me, the more so as she knew that my 
brother's fate was to be decided by it. 

Although I did not at that time know of what took place, 
I will here continue my account of these tragic events so as 
not to break the thread of my narrative. 

The Court-martial was held at Potsdam. It was composed 
of two Major-Grenerals, two Colonels, two Lieutenant- 
Colonels, two Majors, two Captains, and two Lieutenants. 
The whole army were obliged to draw lots as to who was to 
constitute it, as everyone declined to have anything to do 
with it. 

The lots fell on Major-Grenerals Donhoff and Linger, and 
Colonels Derchow and Panewitz. I do not remember the 
names of the Colonels and Captains, but the Lieutenants 
were Einsiedel and one other from the King's regiment. 
They had all to take their oath on the Bible. Donhoff and 
Linger voted for pardon being granted, but Einsiedel, 
Derchow, and the others, all Grrumkow's creatures, and 
favourites of the King, condemned my brother and Katt to 
the scaffold. A monstrous and unheard of sentence in a 
civihzed land ! Seckendorf now stepped in as mediator, and 
begged for mercy for both criminals, particularly my brother. 
It was granted him only with much trouble, for my father's 
rage had increased. For Katt he could obtain nothing, not 
even a reprieve. His sentence was therefore pronounced. 
He heard it without moving a muscle, and with the most 
heroic firmness. He merely answered, *' I submit to the 
King's will, and to that of Providence. I can die without 
fear, for I have nothing to reproach myself with, and I 
suffer for a good cause." He then prepared himself for the 



154 MEMOIRS OF THE 



awful trial before Mm. Next day lie was told that the King 
wished his execution to take place away from Berlin. This 
rather startled him, but he soon regained his composure. 

As soon as he was left alone, he called the officer of the 
guard, and gave him the snuff-box containing the portraits of 
my brother and me, saying, " Keep this, and think sometimes 
of me. Do not, however, show the box to anyone, as it might 
do harm to the high personages who are represented on it." 
Katt then wrote three letters, one to his grandfather, one to 
his father, and one to his brother-in-law. When the clergy- 
man came to him, he said, " I have greatly sinned before 
God. My great ambition was the cause of many faults, of 
which I repent sincerely. The Crown Prince's favour made 
me blind to all else. I now know how vain are all earthly 
things. I repent truly of all my sins, and pray death to lead 
me to everlasting peace." The day was spent in conversing 
in this manner. Towards evening. Major Schenk came with 
tears in his eyes and told Katt that everything was ready for 
his departure, adding, " The King has commanded me to be 
present at your execution, and to accompany you to the place 
where it is to be carried out. I have twice over begged to be 
excused from this mission, but the King insisted, so I could 
but obey. Would to Grod that his heart had been softened, 
and that I might have been the bearer of your pardon." 

" You are very kind," Katt replied, " but I do not wish to 
escape from my fate. I give my life for a master whom I 
love most dearly, and, by doing so, give him the greatest 
proof of my devotion. Happiness without end awaits me." 
With these words he stepped cheerfully and smilingly into 
the carriage. 

Before starting, he took leave of many officers and soldiers 
of the gendarmerie, who had assembled to witness his 
departure. It was nine o'clock in the morning when he 
reached Kiistrin. The scaffold had been erected in front of 
my brother's windows, from which the bars had been 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 155 

removed. It was on a level with the window, and only a 
few paces from it. 

As soon as they had reached the interior of the fortress, 
Schenk said to Katt, " Keep up yonr courage, for a fearful 
trial is hefore you." 

" Say rather that it is the greatest comfort that could 
have been given me," he replied. 

My unfortunate brother had, the day before, witnessed all 
these preparations without knowing their purpose. He 
expected his own death-warrant. Early in the morning the 
Grovemor of the fortress. General Lepel, and the President, 
Miinichow, entered my brother's prison and endeavoured to 
prepare him as best they could for the terrible news they had 
to communicate to him. They brought him a plain brown 
suit of clothes, the counterpart to that which Katt wore (my 
brother would not take it off afterwards, till it had to be 
literally torn off him). As soon as the Crown Prince 
heard what was in store for him, he was seized with frantic 
despair, which grew only greater and greater as he was 
forced to approach the window. He tried to throw himself 
out of it. Then he exclaimed, " For Grod's sake postpone 
the execution ! I will write to the King that I will solemnly 
renounce the Crown if only I can save Katt's hfe." 

As my brother saw him mount the scaffold he called out 
to him, *' I am miserable, dear Katt. I am the cause of your 
misfortune, oh, that I were in your place ! " Katt, then 
kneeling down, replied, '' Had I a thousand lives, my beloved 
Prince, I would lay them all down for you." One of the 
attendants then stepped forward to blindfold him, but he 
waved them back. He then said in a firm voice '' My Grod, 
into thy hands I commend my spirit." He had scarcely 
uttered these words when his head fell. In falling he had 
still stretched out his hand towards the window at which my 
brother was standing. The poor Prince had fainted away. 
He was laid on his bed, where he remained insensible for 



156 ^lEAIoiSS OF 



several Lours. Fever tiien attacked him, and his condition 
was not to be described. Katt's body had been left lying in 
snch a position that my brother conld not escape seeing it. 
As no one knevr what to do mth the Crown Prince, and the 
doctors feared for his life, they sent for a clergyman. But 
the cruel emotions my brother had been through were not so 
easily got over, and he became calmer only when quite 
exhausted. Great bodily weakness, accompanied by floods of 
tears, at last succeeded the violent fits of despair, and he sank 
into melancholy, which lasted some time. Even now we 
never dare mention this terrible scene to him. Katt^s body 
remained lying on the scaffold till sundown. It was then 
buried in a comer of the fortress near the bastions. I am 
here going to insert a letter Katt wrote to his grandfather. 
and also a verse which was found written on the window of 
his prison. . 

" Sir, and honoured Grrandfather, 

" I cannot express to you with what pain and anxiety I 
write these hnes. I, who have been the sole object of your 
constant soKcitude ; I, to whom you looked for the advance- 
ment of your family ; I, whom you educated in principles 
that should have made me fit to serve Grod and my neigh- 
bours ; I, who never parted from you without having been hon- 
oured by some of your kind advice; I, who was the joy, 
pride and support of your old age ; I, miserable creature, am 
the cause of all your grief and pain. Instead of sending you 
good news, I must teU you of my being sentenc-ed to death, a 
sentence which has just been communicated to me. Do not 
take my sad fate too much to heart. We must bow to the 
will of Providence. If we are tried by reverses, the strength 
will be given us to endure them. Nothing is impossible to 
Grod : He can help when He sees fit. I put all my trust in 
the Almighty, that He may yet soften the King's heart, and 
incKne him to show me mercy. The King was at all 



MAE.GKAYINE OF BAIREUTH. 157 

times gracious towards me. If Grod wills it otherwise, 
then I shall not cease to praise Him, for He orders all for our 
best. I shall patiently submit to any alternative joiir 
influence and other people's may obtain from the King. 
Meanwhile I entreat your forgiveness for all my misdeeds, and 
hope that Grod, who forgives the greatest of sinners, will also 
have mercy on me. Will you not also follow His example 
and grant your pardon to him who signs himself, Sir, and 
much esteemed Grrandfather. 

" Yom* devoted and respectful Grandson, 

'' Katt." 
" 2nd November, 1730." 

The following are the verses he wrote on his window. 
There is more cleverness in them than poetry. 

' ' Woiildst thou the fruit of a clear conscience reap ? 
Take time, and patience keep. 
Wouldst of the writer ask ? Then Katt replies, 
Cheerful and hopeful in his cell he lies." 

Underneath them was -written : " To those who wish to read 
these lines be it known that he who wrote them was im- 
prisoned on the 16th August, 1730, by order of the King. 
He still hopes to be liberated, though the manner in which 
he is watched makes him fear sometliing terrible." 

But now I must return to my own personal narrative. On 
the 5th November, a Sunday morning, the day before Katt's 
execution, just as I was going to say my prayers, Eversmann 
was announced. He was sent by the King to speak with me. 
I was much alarmed, and though I was still in bed, I ordered 
him to be shown into my room. He began at once : " The 
King desires you to accept the offer of marriage made by the 
Duke of Weissenfels or that of the Margrave of Sohwedt. I 
am to say that the King has dealt most leniently with you, 
for he is quite well aware that you were mixed up in the 
intrigues of the Crown Prince and Katt — they have both 



158 MEMOIRS OF THE 



confessed as much." [This was not true.] " He is greatly 
incensed against the Prince, and swore yesterday that he 
would have your brother's head laid at your feet. Your 
Royal Highness had better reflect well on the answer you 
give me. The King will take violent measures if you do not 
give way to him, and I may not say all that I know on this 
subject." I answered him, " The King is my lord and 
master, and can do with me what he pleases, but he cannot 
convict me of having been a party to my brother's plan. If 
he had asked me about it, I would have proved my innocence 
to him. As regards the subject of my marriage, I beg my 
father to settle that point with the Q-ueen. As soon as they 
are of one mind on that subject, I shall at once submit, how- 
ever great my disinclination may be." 

" The Queen has nothing whatever to do with it," Evers- 
mann began again. " The King will on no account allow her 
to mix herself up in it." " But the King cannot prevent 
her being my mother," I replied. " Why is he so deter- 
mined to marry me, and make me miserable ? Death seems 
far sweeter to me than the daily terror I have to endure, and 
the fear of my father or mother's curse which threatens 
me." 

" Well, then, please yourself," was Eversmann's answer. 
" You can prepare to die if you do not give in. The Prince's 
trial and Katt's will be postponed so that you may be 
included in it. A victim must be sacrificed to the King's 
fury, and it may as well be you." " I am quite prepared for 
my fate," I answered him, " the world is quite indifferent to 
me. I have had so many troubles that it is easy to me to 
forego this world's vanities. I shall look forward to my 
death with more satisfaction than fear." He then said, '' But 
what is to become of the Crown Prince ? " " I do not know," 
was my reply, " and if I am to die, then I shall trouble about 
nothing more." With this remark, the sad conversation 
came to an end. As Eversmann left the room he said the 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 159 

King would send other people to speak with me, but that he 
forbade me to speak with the Queen about what was 
going on. 

I was so upset by this interview that my bed shook under 
me. They hid from me the fact of the Court-martial having 
been summoned, and this increased my alarm. I feared my 
refusal had done harm to my brother, but resolved to wait 
and see what these other people would say whom my father 
was going to send to me before coming to a final decision. 
I considered Eversmann so very much beneath my contempt 
that I would not condescend to give him my answer. I told 
^lademoiselle von Sonnsfeld at once of my conversation, and 
we both agreed that it was necessary to let the Queen know 
of it, and to obtain her instructions. It was not safe to send 
om' letters in the usual way, and I was not allowed to send 
anyone to her. We had, therefore, to try and discover some 
other means. At last we thought of the following stratagem. 
The Queen had appointed a Mademoiselle von Konnken, a 
daughter of her Mistress of the Eobes, to be Mademoiselle 
von Billow's successor. She was a charming girl, full of 
character. I asked her to come secretly to me. As they 
had forgotten to put a sentinel before one of my doors, which 
led to my sisters' rooms, the Queen's Ladies were able to get 
at me by this way. As soon as Mademoiselle von Konnken 
reached my room, I told her all the circumstances of the 
case, and made her understand how important it was that 
the Queen should be informed of them. '' I have thought 
of a means of doing so," I said to her. " You send your 
mother a cheese : we will cut it in half, put the letter 
between the pieces, and then stick them together again, sO 
that nobody will observe anything. Then, when the box is 
opened containing the cheese, nothing can be discovered, and 
we run no risk." It cost me no end of trouble and persua- 
sion to get Mademoiselle von Konnken to agree to this, for 
the daily arrests and executions were spreading universal 



160 MEMOIRS OF THE 



terror. At last I succeeded, and sent my letter in the 
manner suggested. 

The next day, the 6th November, the day of Katt's 
execution, Eversmann called upon Mademoiselle von Sonns- 
feld, by the King's desire, and brought her the following 
message. My father desired her to persuade me to accept 
the Duke of Weissenfels. If she did not obey this com- 
mand, she was to be sent to Spandau, or even something 
worse might happen to her. My governess at once replied, 
" I am ready to leave the Court whenever the King wishes 
it, but I shall not mix myself up in this marriage. The 
Queen entrusted me with the education of her daughter, but 
not with putting ideas of marriage into her head. Tell the 
King that he gave me this post against my will, as I had in 
vain repeatedly told him that I did not feel equal to the task 
of bringing up a young Princess. Dearly a-s I love my Prin- 
cess, I should not hesitate for a moment to resign my posi- 
tion, rather than meddle with things which are beyond my 
province." " Have you forgotten what has taken place 
to-day ? " Eversmann answered, " I am told that the King 
is in a greater state of anger than ever : take care that he 
does not carry out the threats he has been using against you 
and the Princess." " Beware of mentioning anything of all 
this to the Princess," interrupted Mademoiselle von Sonns- 
feld. " I have kept it all from her, because her health has 
suffered so much that the least additional emotion will quite 
prostrate her. As regards myself, I shall calmly await what 
Providence may decide for me." My governess repeated to 
me the whole conversation, only suppressing all mention of 
Katt's execution. I was so ill that I had to keep my bed. 
" You have done quite right," I said to her, " and I now 
know what I must do." 

Madame von Eocoule visited me next day. Although 
more than seventy years of age, she still had the super- 
intendence of my younger sisters. She was such a kind, 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 161 

upright old lady. Her daughter was with my elder sister, 
and I do not know why, but this girl hated me. I 
had never done her any harm that I knew of. She 
ruled her old mother, and therefore — much as I liked 
Madame de Hocoule — I could not trust her. She came 
to bring me a box of cheese from my mother. "Here, 
my child, the Queen sends you some cheeses," she began ; 
" and in one of them there is a letter." My blood began 
to boil at the thought of my mother's imprudence, but I 
saw that this was not the time to show mistrust. I 
therefore took out the letter and read as follows : " You 
are as frightened as a hare. Eemember that my curse 
will fall on you if you submit to what is demanded of 
you. To gain time, you must pretend that you are very 
ill." I could not do otherwise than show the note to 
Madame von Rocoule, but begged her not to mention it to 
anyone. 

As soon as she left me, I consulted with Mademoiselle 
von Sonnsfeld as to what I was to do. We decided at 
last to obey the Queen. My maid, on whose unalterable 
devotion I could depend, and I waited till dinner was 
over to assume the parts we were going to act. Certainly 
it was prison fare. We could scarcely appease our hunger. 
The food consisted of bones with no meat, and these cooked 
in salt and water. As soon as I sat down I complained 
of being sick, and then slowly fell from my chair. All my 
servants ran for help : my sisters' and my mother's ladies 
surrounded me. I was put to bed, and remained there 
motionless for two hours. All thought I was dead, and 
cried and wrung their hands. Groodness knows how 
difficult I found it to keep up the imposture, but 
necessity forced me to go through with it. After a 
while I pretended to return slowly to consciousness, but 
all that day I never left my bed. 

Next day Eversmann again appeared. He had heard 

M 



162 MEMOIKS OF THE 



of mj illness at Wusterhausen, and came hurrying to 
see if it were true or not. Tlieyhacl given me hot tin 
balls to hold in my hands, so that when he approached 
me, I acted as if I were unable to speak, saying only 
that I had violent fever, at the same time giving him 
one of my hands. He was much taken aback, and said, 
" She is very hot. How is it that no doctor has been 
summoned?" Mademoiselle von Sonr.sfeld replied that 
she did not know if we had the King's permission to 
send for one, and that she had therefore written to the 
Queen about me. Eversmann then left me. He took 
Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld on one side, and said, " I 
had forbidden you in the King's name to say anything 
to the Queen about what concerned the Princess. Yet 
you have done so. You treated me yesterday like a child, 
but that is all the same to me. If I tell the King of it, 
it will simply depend on me alone whether you are sent 
to Spandau, and if the Queen speaks with him about the 
matter, then you and your Princess can pack up to be ready to 
be sent there." Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld did not know 
what answer to make to this speech, but he left her mthout 
waiting for one. She came to me in great alarm and told 
me of it. My terror was not less than hers, and we spent 
the whole day in fear and trembling. She was fearing for 
me, and I for her. Had I known of Katt's fate, my state 
of distress would have been still greater. 

Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld kept it from me, for she 
knew my kind heart, and feared that so terrible an example 
of the King's anger would make me lose courage. She was 
right too, for I should have been 's\Tetched for life had my 
obstinacy been the cause of her ruin. Grreat Heavens ! what 
I suffered during these days ! My brother was ever present 
in my thoughts, and I saw myself hourly exposed to be 
treated in the same way as he was. The sorrow I caused 
to all who were devoted to me made me determine to 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 163 

submit to each and every demand on condition that the King 
forgave my brother. I could not count on the Queen. Her 
constant imprudence, and the little respect in which she was 
held by the King, deprived me of all hope of aid from her. 
My father had probably been told that the Queen's ladies 
visited me, for this comfort was now denied me, and I saw 
no one beyond my sisters, who were still quite children. I 
was also obliged to stay in bed to keep up the farce of my 
illness, and was not able even to read in peace. That devil 
Eversmann disturbed me every moment to torment me about 
the Duke of Weissenfels. 

One piece of good news reached us at this time, and 
brought me some measure of comfort. I mentioned that 
grief at Katt's death had made my brother dangerously ill. 
His good constitution alone saved his life. Grumkow, who 
had been the cause of all the Crown Prince's misfortunes, 
now desired to have an equal share in his being set at 
liberty. He induced the King to let him go to Kiistrin. 
Instead of approaching the Prince with insolence, as he had 
on the former occasion, Grrumkow this time addressed him 
with great respect. He commiserated his sad fate, and told 
him that he and Seckendorf had done all in their power to 
save Katt. Grrumkow finally advised my brother to write to 
the King in a most submissive tone, promising him if he did 
so to procure him his father's pardon. It was only after 
much persuasion that he succeeded in inducing my brother 
to take this step. He succeeded at last, after having told 
him how much my mother was suffering for his sake, and 
the Crown Prince agreed to write to the King. My brother 
knew nothing of all that had happened to me, and only 
learned it afterwards from myself. Grrumkow kept his word. 
On the 12th November, the Crown Prince was allowed to 
leave the fortress, but not to quit Kiistrin, which he had still 
to regard as a prison. The King let him have three civilians 
to keep him company, Messieurs Wallen, Povedel, and 

M 2 



161- MEMOIRS OF THE 



Natzmer. His expenditure was limited to the smallest 
possible sum. He was allowed no amusements, nor was lie 
permitted to read or write, or to speak Frencli. It is im- 
possible to describe the joy pervading all classes at the news 
of the Prince having been set at liberty. In spite of the 
King's peremptory orders that my brother should be treated 
in the most rigorous manner during his imprisonment, his 
dinner-table was well cared for. All Berlin sent him pro- 
visions, and even the greatest delicacies. Even the poor 
exiled French collected linen to send my brother. I was 
equally kindly cared for, and had food sent me in the same 
way as the Crown Prince. If I had not had this, I think I 
should have nearly died of hunger and want. My gratitude 
towards this nation will be unceasing, and I wish it were in 
my power to requite it as I should like. 

Letters which were at this time received from Anspach 
contradicted the rumour of the death of Prince Henry of 
Baireuth. An attack of fever from which he had suffered 
for six days in Paris must have given rise to the report. 

About the 22nd the Queen returned to Berlin. She found 
me still in bed, pretending to be ill, and being so in down- 
right reality. All my sorrows and anxieties, combined with 
the sedentary life I had been compelled to lead, had so 
seriously affected my health that it never entirely recovered 
from it. My second sister, who has since married the Duke 
of Brunswick, came at once to see me. I loved her dearly. 
She was very clever and lively in later years. She requited 
me ill for the love I bore her. As soon as she entered my room 
she exclaimed, " Have you not pitied our brother and grieved 
for Katt ? " I asked her why ? and she then gave me an account 
of the whole tragedy. The impression it produced on my mind 
is easily to be imagined. I put myself in my brother's place, 
and tried to picture to myself what he must have suffered in 
that awful moment. As we were speaking my mother came 
into the room. She told me all she. had gone through during 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 



165 



her absence. The King had never sought to spare her in 
the least. On the contrary, he had taken pleasure in morti- 
fying her whenever he possibly could. The Queen now 
came daily to see me, and caused me perfect panics of terror. 
'' I know that they intend to torment you as soon as I 
have left Berlin," she said to me. "They will take 
Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld from you, and that too in a 
shameful manner, and will surround you with people whom 
you cannot trust. Don't let them disconcert you : remain 
firm, and refuse persistently to marry." In order to put hei 
mind at rest I always replied that her orders should be obeyed. 
I had, however, determined to submit to the King's will, on 
the very first occasion. 

The King spent Christmas in Berlin, and remained there 
till the beginning of the year 1731. During that time my 
visits from the Uueen were interrupted. I am now going to 
commence the account of the year 1731. 

On the 10th or 12th January my father returned to 
Potsdam, and the Uueen followed him there on the 28th. A 
reconciliation was effected by the Chamberlain Sastot between 
her and Orumkow. This secret was at once confided to me. 
My mother said, " I have won over Grrumkow : he has assured 
me that he will do a,ll in his power to settle your English 
marriage, and to have the Crown Prince restored to the 
King's favour. As he has come over to our side there is 
nothing more to fear. This information took me much by 
surprise. I could not understand how my mother could 
possibly trust such a creature. He had so often cheated and 
betrayed us, and I felt certain he would do so again. How- 
ever, I was obliged to keep my thoughts to myself, because 
my mother could not bear the least contradiction. 

The day before her departure from Berlin, she came once 
more to see me. She looked me straight in the face, and 
said, " I come to take leave of you, and hope that Grrumkow 
will keep his promise, and that you will be left in peace during 



166 MEMOIES OF THE 



mj absence. If it should, however, not be so, I demand a 
solemn oath from you that you never marry anyone else but 
the Prince of Wales. It is quite easy for you to take that 
oath, and it will comfort me greatly." I was at first so much 
taken aback that I did not know how to reply to the Queen. 
I tried to give an evasive answer, saying, " As Grrumkow has 
obtained my brother's release, he will now probably try to 
get my English marriage settled, in order to be able to boast 
of his success. I therefore think that there is nothing to fear." 
The Queen, however, persisted on my taking this oath. I 
did not in the least know how to avoid doing so, and I was 
afraid of my mother's anger. At last the following pretext 
helped me to enlighten her as to the real state of my feelings 
on this vexed subject. I therefore answered her, " I belong 
to the Eef ormed Church, and am consequently a firm believer 
in the doctrine of predestination. I do not know to what 
corner of the earth I am destined by Providence to go. If it 
is England, then neither the King nor anyone else will prevent 
my getting there. If, however, one or the other of these two 
hateful marriages is my destiny, then all your Majesty's efibrts, 
as well as all my own, to prevent that marriage will be unavail- 
ing. My conscience forbids my taking such an oath as you 
propose, for I may be unable to keep it. I will rather suffer 
from your anger, which will be a great grief to me, than 
offend G-od. I will resist as long as I possibly can, but if 
absolutely necessary, I shall give way to my father." The 
Queen was displeased at my saying this, but felt that she 
could not argue against my decision. We took a most tender 
farewell of each other. I could scarcely tear myself away 
from her. My mother was also greatly overcome. We 
determined we would correspond only on ordinary subjects, 
but that should we have anything of serious importance to 
communicate we would send the letters through the ^ife of 
the Queen's old page. This woman had ever since her child- 
hood been "^ith my grandmother, the Duchess of Hanover, 



MARGRAVINE OF EAIREUTH. 167 

wlio educated and trained her. She afterwards married this 
page. We could trust her implicitly, for she was honest}^ 
and devotion personified. 

After the Queen's departure I led a very sad existence. I 
was no longer allowed even to leave my bedroom, and I did 
not see a soul. I spent my days in reading. The month of 
February was spent in this manner. At last I was allowed 
to see my mother and my sisters. I was left entirely in 
peace, and became accustomed to the enforced solitude. 
Nothing more was said about the projects of marriage. My 
brother was safe, though his existence was melancholy enough. 
He was able to write to me from time to time, and I had 
the happiness of answering his letters. Mademoiselle von 
Sonnsfeld's brother managed this correspondence secretly 
for us. 

The Queen kept me daily informed of all that took place. 
She VTote to me that she was on very good terms with 
Grrumkow, and had little doubt of my marriage with the 
Prince of Wales being settled. Grrumkow had authorized 
her to make one last attempt in that direction. I confess 
that I could not overcome my extreme distrust of this man, 
he had already cheated us too often. After events proved 
that I was right. 

The month of April had come round, and I had happily 
been spared any more communications from the King on the 
subject of these hateful marriages. Now, however, a change 
took place. The King began again to torment my mother 
on the subject, and Eversmann recommenced his visits to me. 
On one of these occasions he told me that the state rooms in 
the Castle were to be prepared for fetes which were in 
prospect. " I will tell you in confidence," Eversmann con- 
tinued, "that the Duke of Wurtemberg, the Hereditary 
Prince of Baireuth, the Duke and Duchess of Severn and 
Prince Charles of Bevern are expected, and that the betrothal 
of your sister Sophie with the Hereditary Priiice of Baireuth 



168 MEMOIRS OF THE 



will then take place. How , sorry I am for you, to be shut 
up here alone, but the King has sworn that you shall on no 
account appear at these festivities." I replied that I did not 
in the least care for any of these amusements, and that they 
were quite indifferent to me, but not so my father's affection. 
I should use every means in my power to regain his love. 

It was now almost three-quarters of a year since I had 
been able to take the Holy Communion, which had been 
forbidden me. With my mother's leave, I now wrote to the 
King, in the most touching and submissive terms, imploring 
him to restore me to his favour, and also asking him for per- 
mission to take the Holy Communion. The King told my 
mother to say that his "canaille" of a daughter might 
receive the Sacrament if she chose. He at the same time 
himself appointed the clergyman who was to officiate, and 
desired that the service should be performed in my room, and 
quite in secret. All looked on this permission as a good omen, 
the more so, as my father had acted in just the same way 
towards my brother a few days before he was liberated from 
the fortress of Kiistrin. These hopes were not of long 
duration. Grrumkow had induced the King to make one last 
effort to get my English marriage settled without reference 
to that of the Crown Prince. The King of England, who 
was of a very vivacious temperament, and easily roused to 
anger, was extremely offended at the treatment Hotham had 
received, as well as at the offensive language used towards 
him on other occasions. Had my father appointed any 
other envoy, things would probably never have gone as far 
as they had. Beichenbach, who was Grumkow's right hand, 
and had on all occasions endeavoured to create misunder- 
standings and bad feeling, was the person chosen. He was 
to demand a formal declaration from the English King on 
the subject of my marriage. This was all kept a secret from 
the Prince of Wales. King Ceorge answered that he insisted 
on the double marriage, but would not consent to either 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 169 

without the other, and that he would marry his son within 
four months. To this my father retorted, that he would see 
me married before two months were over. The Queen im- 
mediately told me of this, and implored me to remain firm, 
whatever might be attempted against me. 

In a week from that time Eversmann presented himself 
before me. He was not sent by the King, he said, but was 
desirous to keep me informed as to what was going on. "I 
really am anxious for your welfare, and I should be grieved 
if any misfortune overtook you." He then continued, 
" There is nothing left you but to marry the Duke of 
Weissenfels, for all negotiations are broken off with 
England. The King threatens to submit your brother 
to a fresh trial. He regrets having had Katt executed 
without having previously put him on the rack. Papers 
are missing, which have been destroyed, and of which 
you are cognisant. The King considers these papers 
most important, and if you will not submit to him he will 
proceed with the utmost severity against you and the 
Prince." To this speech I answered in a firm, loud voice, 
that I knew of nothing, and if my fate was to be a 
sorrowful one it was perhaps the lesser of two evils, and 
that I would never marry. Eversmann returned to Potsdam 
next morning, and only came to see me again two days 
later. The Queen meanwhile wrote daily to me. She 
said her distress was inexpressible, and that my father's anger 
both against me and my brother was greater than ever. He 
had sworn to marry me, and treated her without the least 
consideration. 

On the 6th May, the most eventful day in my life, Evers- 
mann appeared again quite early in the morning. He told 
me he had received the King's commands to buy all that 
was necessary for my wedding, and had given him this 
order in my mother's presence, who had cried most bitterly. 
If I did not at once submit to the King's will, he was 



170 MEMOIRS OF THE 



determined to get rid of Mademoiselle Yon Sonnsfeld, and 
if I persisted in my refusal I was to be shut np within tlie 
walls of a prison. Eversmann said that the King had 
already ordered the post-horses that were to convey me 
to the place of my imprisonment. My father intended 
sending someone to me to demand my final answer. I 
replied hut little to all this, and endeavoured to shorten 
the interview. As soon as Eversmann had left, I took my 
mother's ladies on one side and told them what I had 
heard. They were much alarmed, and asked me what I 
should decide on doing. " To obey," I replied, " as soon 
as some other messenger is sent me than Eversmann. I 
should certainly not honour him with my answer. After 
the tenible example of Katt's death, I have not the least 
doubt that my father will carry out his threats against 
Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld. "What have Mademoiselle 
von Billow and Diihau done to be treated as they have 
been? I will rather be miserable than cause the 
unhappiness of others. Besides which, my mother's and 
my brother's sad position is reason enough for any 
sacrifice on my part." My governess, who had hstened 
quietly to what I had been saying, now came forward 
and entreated me to remain fii^m. She was quite willing 
and ready to suffer everything for my sake. At five o'clock 
that evening the wife of my mother's page brought me the 
following letter from her : — 

" Dear Daughter, 

" Everything is lost. The King is determined 
to marry you. I have had some cruel scenes on the subject. 
Neither my tears nor my entreaties have been of any avail. 
Eversmann has received orders to prepare everything for the 
wedding. You will lose Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld (the 
King is deteiTiiined on that point) if you do not submit. For 
God's sake do not give in. A prison is better than a bad 



MARGRWINE OF BAIREUTH. 171 

Grood bye, dear daughter. I hope great things 
from your courage and firmness." 

The Queen's ladies and I were still speaking about this 
letter, when a servant came rushing into the room and 
announced Greneral von Podewils and another gentleman, who 
wished to speak with Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld. The 
ladies left me without delay, and immediately afterwards 
Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld came to me saying that these 
gentlemen had come by the King's orders to speak with me. 
"For Grod's sake," she added, "do not let them frighten you, 
but obey the orders of the Queen." 

The gentlemen now entered my room. They were Marshal 
Bork, Grrumkow, Podewils, and one other, who I afterwards 
found out was M. Thulemeier. He was also a Minister 
of State, and both coarse and false. He had hitherto pre- 
tended to be devoted to the Queen's cause. I had never seen 
him before, as he was of too low rank to be admitted at 
Court. These gentlemen thereupon made my governess under- 
stand that her presence was not required, and locked all the 
doors. Grumkow now addressed me as follows : " We are 
sent here by the King's orders to tell your Royal Highness 
that the King insists on your marriage. Till now he has put 
it off, hoping that England would consent to your marriage 
with the Prince of Wales. However, all hopes of this are 
over. The King of England has refused to consider our 
Sovereign's proposals. Indeed, he has let him know that 
the Prince will be married within a year. Your father very 
naturally felt this offence keenly, and answered that you 
would be married in three months' time. He must keep 
his word, and although he did not feel bound, as your father 
and master, to enter into any discussion with you on this 
subject, he wishes you to consider how disgraceful it is, both 
to yourself and him, to be treated as England's plaything. 
The rupture which the King of England has caused in the 
two families by his obstinacy is quite reason enough for 



172 MEMOIRS OF THE 



3^our Eoyal Higliness's making anotlier alliance. Think 
of the sorrow which your mother daily endures for your 
sake ; think of your brother's position, and of that of so 
many others on whom the King's anger has fallen ! To 
prevent your putting any difficulties in the way, we are 
commanded to propose to you in marriage the Hereditary 
Prince of Baireuth, but at the same time leaving you the 
option of marrying the Duke of Weissenf els, or the Mar- 
grave of Schwedt. You cannot have anything to urge 
against the Prince of Baireuth, because you do not know 
him. You cannot even reproach him with what you did the 
others, for he has a beautiful Principality of his own, and 
then the Queen herself first proposed him. It is possible 
that as you have been educated in the idea of obtaining a 
crown, you may be somewhat disappointed. Princesses of great 
houses are destined from their birth to sacrifice themselves 
for the good of their country, and after all a high position 
does not always bring earthly happiness with it. I advise 
your Poyal Highness, therefore, to submit to the decrees 
of Providence. Let us be the bearers of such an answer as 
will restore peace to your family. H all the reasons I have 
put forward here are still unavailing in inducing you to 
submit, I have the King's order (which he showed me) to 
have you conveyed to a fortress where you are to be im- 
prisoned. And here is another order," G-rumkow continued, 
" which concerns Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld and your other 
companions, whose fate will be far more grievous than 
Katt's. Several points in the Crown Prince's trial were 
purposely not inquired into, in order to leave him a means of 
escape. The King now intends to have him re-imprisoned in 
the fortress. On the other hand, listen to what the King 
promises you if you will obey him. First, he will give you 
a larger dowry than any of your sisters ; secondly, your 
brother is to be set completely at liberty two days after your 
marriage, and everything that has passed is to be forgotten ; 



MARGRAVINE OF RAIREUTH. 173 

and thirdly, he promises you to treat the Queen more kindly." 
During this long address, I prayed to the Almighty to direct 
me to come to a right decision. I answered the gentleman, 
saying, " You are much mistaken if you imagine that it was 
the wish to become Queen which has prevented my obeying 
my father. I am not in the least aware what has roused his 
anger against me, because he has never let me know any- 
thing about a marriage. I never thought Eversmann's 
gossip about the subject was a message from the King. If 
the King had been agreed with the Queen about it, I should 
have been ready at any moment to assure him of my sub- 
mission, and I will do so at once if he will allow me to get 
my mother's consent to doing so. If the Queen, however, 
persists in her refusal, then I shall be unable to accept the 
proposal." " No, your Royal Highness," Grrumkow answered, 
" that is forbidden you, and we have the King's commands 
not to leave you till you give an answer." " Will you still 
remain obstinate ?" Marshall Bork now said. "The King has 
assured me that his whole peace of mind depends on your 
answer." " Tes," Thulemeier added, " I am a devoted servant 
of the Queen's, and know she would approve of this step." 
He then looked fixedly at me, saying, " You risk everything 
if you do not submit." I asked Grrumkow who it was that 
was speaking to me, and when I heard it was Thulemeier I 
felt I must no longer hesitate. " Well then," I said, " I am 
ready to be the victim, and gladly sacrifice myself for my 
family, hoping peace will thereby be restored to it. As to 
you, gentlemen, you will have to appear before Grod's Judg- 
ment-seat to answer for your sins, if you do not insist on my 
father keeping the promises he has made me with regard to my 
brother. You swear to me that they shall be carried out to 
the letter, if I write to the King and tell him I am ready to 
obey him, and accept the proposal of marriage with the 
Hereditary Prince of Baireuth." They allowed me to write 
also to the Queen, and having given them my letters to her 



174 MEMOIRS OF THE 



and to the King, the j took their leave. Thnlemeier remained 
behind for a moment, and said, " Tonr Eoyal Highness has 
acted as a gifted princess should. The King will be delighted 
mth yonr answer, which will pacify him. You will still be 
happy. Comfort yourself, for all is not yet lost." As soon 
as I was alone, I burst out crying ; my governess was in 
despair, all around me were in the greatest dismay. The next 
day I received a letter from my father, in which he wrote, 
" I am very pleased indeed, dear Wilhelmine, that you sub- 
mit to the wishes of your father. God ^ill bless you, and I 
will never desert you, but shall care for you all the clays of 
my life, and shall always prove to you that I am your 
devoted father." 

I answered him at once, and also wrote the following letter 
to my mother : 

" Tour Majesty will have learned my fate from the sad 
letter I sent you under cover to the King. It is very difficult 
to describe to you in what a state I am. My consent to my 
marriage was not forced from me by the threats made me, 
however cbeadful these were. They showed me a paper 
signed by the King's ovtd. hand, containing my sentence. It 
was to be carried out if I still persisted in my refusal. I was 
told of the disagreement subsisting between you and the 
King, and the account of it made me shudder. Every reason 
that I could possibly give against the marriage was rendered 
useless, even the plea that I could not accept the Prince of 
Baireuth without first having your consent. I was reminded 
that your Majesty yourself had a year ago proposed this very 
alliance. Besides which the King had forbidden me to ask 
you for advice. The gentlemen had received orders not to 
leave my room till I had given them an answer. It is im- 
possible for me to relate all that was said. I must keep it till 
I have the honour of seeing your Majesty and telling you 
myself. I can but too well understand how grieved you will 
be, and that is what hurts me most. I beseech youi' Majesty 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREU'lH. 175 

to submit to Grod's will. He directs all for the best. I do 
so more earnestly, as I am so bappy at being able to sacrifice 
myself for my dear mother and my brother. I love both of 
them so tenderly, that I wish it were in my power to do more 
for them. I therefore entreat you again, if your Majesty 
has the least love for me, to take care of your health, which 
is more precious to me than life. I had the misfortime 
to be the sole cause of all your trouble and sorrow, and I could 
bear it no longer. I am quite content to accept the decrees 
of Providence, and trust that the prayers which I offer daily 
for your Majesty's happiness will be heard. One source of 
comfort you at least have in the promise which has been made 
me of my brother's freedom and of your being treated in a 
kind and considerate manner. I write this letter crying 
bitterly and with a trembling hand, but at peace in the 
thought that I have sacrificed myself for you. I am sure 
these lines must touch you, and that you will understand the 
tender feelings of a daughter for her mother, whom she will 
never, till her last hour, cease to love and honour." 

The Queen's answer to this letter was so terrible that I did 
not keep it, but I cannot either forget it. Amongst other 
things she wrote, " You pierce my heart through and through 
hy your abominable conduct in submitting to the King's 
will. I no longer own you as my daughter : you are un- 
worthy of being my child. I shall never forgive you the 
cruel annoyance you have caused me. Had I known sooner 
what a bad heart yours is I might have saved myself much 
trouble and worry on your account." 

For a whole week I received letters written in the same 
tone. My answers were as touching and affectionate as 
possible. Nobody's grief ever equalled mine ! My health 
began to suffer from it, and I shook from head to foot so that 
I could scarcely stand. My position caused me most sad 
reflections. I was on the point of being married to a Prince 
whom I did not even know. The world spoke highly of 



176 MEMOIRS OF THE 



him, but I did not know whether mutual sympathy, so 
necessary to happiness in married life, would accompany 
my marriage. The good understanding that had subsisted 
between my mother and myseK was destroyed for ever, for 
I knew her revengeful nature. All those who had formerly 
paid me court turned their backs on me, and the first to do 
so were the Queen's ladies. I do not know how I bore so 
much sorrow without dying of it ! 

Eversmann came one day and told me with a kind 
message from the King that he would come to Berlin next 
day. He would endeavour to arrive before my mother, who 
was to reach Berhn only in the evening. The King desired 
my sisters and ' myself to be in his rooms on his arrival. 
Eversmann told me that my mother was by no means 
pacified, and that I must expect to be unkindly treated by 
her. He also told me that the Duchess of Bevern, who had 
been for several days at Potsdam, had tried all her powers of 
persuasion with the Queen. I spent the whole day in tears. 
On the following day I went to my father's apartments, 
where he arrived at two o'clock. I expected an affectionate 
reception, and was therefore sadly taken aback to see my 
father enter with as finious an expression as ever on his face. 
" Will you obey me or not ? " the King said to me. I threw 
myself sobbing at his feet, and assured him of my entire 
SLibmission, and begged him to restore his fatherly affection 
to me. He then lifted me up from the ground and embraced 
me kindly, saying, " Now I am satisfied with you. I shall 
always look after you as long as I live." 

The Queen arrived only at seven o'clock that evening. I 
wanted to kiss the hem of her dress, and fainted in doing so. 
I was told that she was not in the least moved by seeing the 
condition I was in. It took some time before they could 
restore me to consciousness. I then threw myself at her feet, 
but my heart was so full, and tears so choked my utterance, 
that I was incapable of saying a word. During the whole of 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 177 

this scene my mother looked at me in a hard disdainful 
manner. Bamen at last put an end to this painful interview. 
She represented to the Queen how extremely displeased and 
angry my father would be when he learned how she treated 
me, and that he would make her suffer for it. She added 
that my grief was apparently so great, that I was unable to 
control myself. If the Queen did not change her manner 
towards me, Ramen told her, it would only lead to fresh 
disagreeables. This speech made some impression on my 
mother, for she was much afraid of the King. She therefore 
pretended to be touched by my distress, bade me get up, and 
said in a most dry tone that she would forgive me on con- 
dition that I did not make a further exhibition of my sorrow. 

At this moment the Duke of Bevern with his wife and son 
entered the room. The Duchess could not hide her emotion 
on seeing my state of distress. I had never before seen her, 
but she assured me in whispers of her sympathy, and 
from that moment we took a great affection for each other, 
and remained firm friends for ever after. 

The next day M. Thulemeier, whom I have already 
mentioned, secretly sent my mother word that all was not 
yet lost. He considered that all the steps my father had 
taken about my marriage were a sort of bait to force the 
King of England to make up his mind. Thulemeier said he 
had made enquiries everywhere about the Hereditary Prince 
of Baireuth, and had been unable to hear anything of him. 
It was therefore impossible that he had returned home, and 
also impossible that he could come to Berlin. 

This letter of Thulemeier's pacified the Queen, and she 
treated me more kindly. She desired me to tell her every- 
thing that had happened during her absence. She reproached 
me incessantly but in a gentler tone. Her hopes grew daily. 
The King made no mention of my marriage, and it seemed 
almost as if my act of submission had made him forget all 
about it. 



178 MEMOIRS OF THE 



Monday, 27tli May, was fixed for a great review of all the 
troops. The review was this year to be particularly brilliant. 
For this purpose the King had caused all the infantry and 
cavalry regiments in the country to assemble at Berlin. 
These regiments, together with the garrison of Berlin, formed 
an army corps of 20,000 men. A few days before the 
review, Duke Eberhard Ludwig of Wiirtemberg arrived at 
Berlin. The King had paid him a visit a short time before 
all my brother's troubles began. He had been so flattered 
by the kindness and civility shown him at Stuttgart, that he 
had invited the Duke to come to Berlin. As my father 
found his greatest pleasure in life in his troops, he thought 
he could give others no greater mark of civiKty than by 
showing off his soldiers to them. For this reason he always 
held reviews whenever foreign Princes came to Berlin. It 
must be confessed that the King on this occasion outdid 
himself. The festivities were really splendid, and during 
the whole time the foreign guests remained at Berlin, four- 
teen courses were served at dinner. This was a great feat 
for my father. But to return to my narrative. 

On Sunday, the 26th, the King told my mother that he 
wished her to be present at the review next morning : " The 
Duchess of Bevern and my two daughters will accompany 
you in the carriage," he added, "and you must be ready 
dressed at 4 a.m. I do not intend dining to-night, so you 
must entertain the Princes whilst I go to bed." The Queen 
left m}^ father and returned to her own room, where she 
began a game at Pharo.* She had scarcely finished it 
when we saw a post-chaise drive up to the principal 
entrance of the Castle. As this right is granted only to 
princes of high rank, the Queen was at once alarmed, and 
asked who it was who had arrived. Soon after the answer 
was brought her that it was the Hereditary Prince of 

* A uame at cards. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 179 

Baireutli. No thunderbolt could have caused her a greater 
shock, she became as pale as death, and almost fainted. I 
was in much the same condition. After some little reflection, 
I went up to my mother and asked her to excuse my accom- 
panying her next day to the review. " My father will make 
such a to-do with me in public," I said, " that it will be 
painful for your Majesty to have to witness it." The Queen 
quite agreed with me, but her almost slavish terror of the 
King forbade her granting my request. After some dispute 
on the subject, it was settled that I must go with her. 

I spent a cruel night. Dreadful palpitations of the heart 
and an indescribable terror deprived me almost of speech. 
Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld did her best to comfort me. 
She sat near my bed crying bitterly. I was obliged to get 
up early and dress. I covered my face up as much as I could 
and went to the Queen, and we soon afterwards drove off 
together. The troops were drawn in order of battle. We 
drove down the lines, and then took up our position close to 
a battery, which was at some distance from the troops. 
Colonel von Wachholtz, one of the King's favourites, now 
approached my mother, and told her that by the King's 
commands he was to have the honour of presenting to her 
the Hereditary Prince Henry of Baireuth. He then did so. 
The Queen received the Prince very haughtily, and said a few 
cold words to him, after which she motioned him away. The 
Prince was tall and well grown : he had noble features, and 
an open pleasing expression. Although his features were 
not regular, his whole appearance was that of a very hand- 
some 'man. The hot weather, together with the fear and 
agitation I was in, caused me to faint away. I was carried 
to a carriage in which my mother and Mademoiselle von 
Sonnsfeld were sitting. After some time, the remedies they 
applied restored me to consciousness. They did all they could 
besides to help me to regain my composure. I remained with 
them during the whole review. The King and the Princes 

N 2 



180 MEMOIRS OF THE 



all dined in the town, so that we saw nothing more of them 
that day. 

On the 28th, Prince Henry of Baireuth, with the other 
Princes, came to pay their respects to the Queen. She spoke 
very little to him, and when he turned to me, I acknowledged 
his bow without saying anything. 



The 29th and 30th passed without anything being said by 
the King. On the 31st he sent for my mother and myself 
to come to his room : " You know," he said, " that I have 
promised my daughter in marriage to the Prince of Baireuth. 
I wish the betrothal to take place to-morrow. You can, if 
you choose to take the thing in the right spirit, win all my 
love ; if, on the contrary, you show any ill-will, you may 
count on my taking my revenge." The King said much the 
same to me. Both the Queen and I then assured him that his 
wishes were law to us. My father then desired my mother 
to dress me handsomely, and to lend me her jewels. The 
Queen, who was almost choking with rage, cast furious looks 
at me all the time, but was forced to submit. Soon after 
this, the Queen went to her apartments, and in a little while 
the King brought the Prince to her. 

It is time that I should now say something about this 
Prince's character, as well as his position and circumstances. 
He had been educated at Greneva in the simplest manner. 
His Father, the Margrave, was a Prince of the House of 
Culmbach, from which he received an annuity. As his means 
were not sufficient for him to live as his rank demanded, he 
retired to a small town in the King's dominions called 
Beverling, and afterwards lived in Pothenburg, a free town 
in Franconia. He was the next heu* to the Margravate of 
Brandenburg-Culmbach ; but as the reigning Margrave, 
Greorge Wilhelm, was still quite young and was married, the 
Margrave of Baireuth resigned his rights to King Frederick I., 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 181 

on conditions of receiving 400,000 thalers,* and a regiment 
for each of his sons. The two eldest sons of the Prince went 
to study at Utrecht. On their return from the University, 
they found then' father beside himself, and the whole family 
in despair. The conditions under which he had resigned his 
rights to Brandenburg-Culmbach had not been fulfilled, and 
the money had been reduced by nearly two-thirds. Meanwhile 
Prince Henry had died, and the Margrave, Greorge Frederick 
Charles, determined finally, after vainly endeavouring to get 
things settled by the Grovernment, to take up his abode at 
Beverling. It was there that he was born who was to 
become my husband. Some other children, of whom I shall 
speak later, were also born there. King Frederick I. died in 
course of time, but my father's accession brought no change 
in the Prince's circumstances. All the lawyers that were 
consulted on the subject said the renunciation of his rights 
could not hold good. The family therefore left Beverling 
secretly, and visited all the Grerman Courts, in order to secure 
their help and interest. At last they succeeded, with the help 
of the Emperor of Austria and all the great lawyers in the 
land, in getting back their rights and in having the arrange- 
ment which had been made with Frederick I. declared null 
and void. When Margrave William of Brandenburg- 
Culmbach and his son died, the Margravate fell to Prince 
George Frederick Charles. 

When the Margrave assumed the government, he found 
his affairs in the utmost confusion. His predecessor had left 
many debts, and the revenues, in consequence of bad manage- 
ment, were much reduced. The Margrave found himself 
therefore unable to devote necessary attention to his son's 
education. He entrusted it at first to a middle-class tutor, 
and only when he was to commence his travels gave his son 
into the charge of M. von Yoit, a gentleman of good birth. 

*£60,000. 



182 MEMOIRS OF THE 



TVliat an Tinf ortunate idea ! A good education is the greatest 
blessing we can give onr cMldren. 

Prince Henry of Baireuth. had just returned from his 
journej to France and Holland when he arrived at Berlin. 
He was lively, and not shy or awkward. His conversation 
was most agreeable. He was very clever, had a good head 
and clear judgment. His wonderful generosity and goodness 
of heart won him the affection and respect of all. Grenerous, 
charitable, civil, courteous and even tempered, he possessed 
all the virtues of this world without any of the vices. 

I fear I shall be thought partial in my opinion of him, but 
his country, in which he is adored, and all who knew him 
will bear witness to the truth of what I have said. But as 
no one is without faults, I shall, in the course of these 
memoirs, have occasion to make mention of his. They are 
but slight, but as I have determined to be perfectly honest 
about everything, neither shall I hide my own shortcomings. 

The Queen gave the Prince a pretty good reception, and 
as long as the King was present treated him civilly. No 
sooner had my father, however, tmTied his back than she 
never ceased saying the most unpleasant things to him. In 
the evening after dinner the Piince followed my mother, and 
begged her to grant him a few moments' conversation. She 
would gladly have escaped from this, had she been able to do 
so with dignity. As soon as they were alone together the 
Prince began, " I have been made acquainted with all the 
sorrow and annoyance to which your Majesty has been 
subjected. I know the Princess was destined for the Prince 
of Wales, and that it was your Majesty's ardent wish to see 
her settled in England. I know too that it is only in con- 
sequence of the rupture of the negotiations for that marriage 
that I have the honour of being chosen the King's son-in-law. 
My happiness and my good fortune are great indeed to be 
allowed to aspire to the hand of a Princess for whom I have 
the warmest and most respectful feelings. But it is just 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 18^ 

tliese feelings whicli make me aware how far too precious slie 
is for me to venture to marry her against her will. I there- 
fore respectfully implore your Majesty to speak quite openly 
with me as to your views on the subject. Be assured that I 
will abide by your answer. I would rather break with the 
King and be a miserable man for the rest of my life, than 
cause the Princess unhappiness." 

The Queen was quite unprepared for this speech, and 
reflected for a few moments what she should answer. As she 
feared the King's anger, and did not think she could trust 
the Prince, she replied that she had no exception whatever 
to take to the King's mshes, and both she and I were 
obliged to obey them. 

On the 1st of June, a Sunday morning, I went to the 
Queen's room, where soon afterwards the King appeared. 
He presented me with a beautiful diamond ring, which I 
was to give the Prince that evening as a betrothal ring, and 
also gave me a service of gold plate. He repeated his in- 
junctions to the Queen to accept the present state of things 
with a good grace. I dined alone with my mother, who was 
terribly agitated, and looked the whole time at me with eyes 
full of anger. 

That evening at seven we went over to the State rooms of 
the Castle. The Queen and all the Princesses sat in one 
room which had been specially prepared for them, and to 
which no one but my mother's Court was admitted. Soon 
afterwards the King entered with Prince Henry of Baireuth. 
My father was as much agitated as my mother, so that he 
quite forgot to betroth us formally in the room appointed for 
the ceremony. The King approached the Prince and myself 
and caused us to exchange rings. I wanted to kiss his 
hands, but he kissed me and took me in his arms and held 
me there a long time, whilst the tears poured down his face. 
The Queen received me with her usual coldness. The King 
then bade the Prince give me his hand to lead me to the 



184 MEMOIRS OF THE 



ball-room. As soon as we entered our betrothal was announced. 
I Was niueli beloved in Berlin, and as tbe English marriage 
had been greatly desired, all were much dismayed. The 
ladies wept, and silently kissed the hem of my dress : indeed 
the King himself never ceased crying. 

G-rumkow and Seckendorf meanwhile could not contain 
their satisfaction, for they had successfully accomplished a 
new trick. Lord Chesterfield, the English Envoy in Holland, 
had sent a messenger from the English Court to Berlin, who 
had arrived that very morning. Grumkow and Seckendorf 
had, however, delayed the messenger, so that he was able 
to present his despatches to the King only in the evening after 
my betrothal had been declared. 

The King of England had at last consented to agree to 
my father's wishes, and to allow my marriage with the 
Prince of Wales to take place, without reference to my 
brother. This news fell on the King like a thunderbolt. 
Grrumkow and Seckendorf managed, however, to pacify him, 
and to induce him to give an answer which entirely carried 
out 'their wishes. The King's reply was that he refused to 
entertain any of the proposals made to him by England. 
My mother heard of this only next day, and in spite of the 
King's words still flattered herself that she could break off 
my marriage. She forbade me, under pain of her extreme 
displeasure, either to speak to Prince Henry or show him the 
slightest mark of civility. 

Prince Henry was really indifferent to me. I did not 
dislike him, but on the other hand I had no feeling of 
affection for him. I was, however, anxious to be soon married 
to him, in order to have peace, and to put an end to the per- 
petual teasing I was subjected to by the Queen and others. 
All those who had lived at the Court of the late Margrave 
never wearied of telling me of all its splendours and amuse- 
ments. They assured me that the riches in plate, both gold 
and silver, far exceeded anything at Berlin. These descrip- 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 185 

tions made me desirous of soon settling in my new home. I 
built many castles in the air, picturing to myself the happy 
quiet life I should lead there. As long as I was still under 
my mother's care I determined to obey her in all things, as 
much from fear of her as to escape from the ill-treatment to 
which I was exposed. 

But my evil star pursued me, and a new demon raised its 
head to drive me to despair. I have abeady mentioned that 
my elder sister was married to the Margrave of Anspach, and 
that my sister Charlotte had married Prince Charles of 
Bevern, a scion of the house of Brunswick and nephew to the 
Empress of Austria. Of all my sisters I loved Charlotte the 
most, and had known how to make her beloved by my mother. 
In those days I did not know her evil nature, from which I 
had later so much to suffer. Charlotte was very clever and 
very lively. As nothing ever disturbed her, and scoldings 
made no impression on her, she had had the nickname given 
her of " I don't care." The whole world was indifferent to 
her, and she troubled herself about nothing, except what 
concerned her own little person. She was always in the best 
of humours, merry and full of mischief, besides being ex- 
tremely amusing. She was also, by fits and starts, very 
kind-hearted, and knew how to make herself agreeable to 
those who required her help, but she was very capricious, 
false and jealous, and liked to amuse herself at the expense 
of others. She was at that time fifteen years old. Charlotte 
was very jealous of the love my mother bore me, and during 
the time she spent with the Queen at Wusterhausen and 
Potsdam, whilst I was so to speak under arrest, she did all in 
her power to ingratiate herself with her. She did me all the 
harm she could, and continually stirred up my mother's anger 
against me. There was at this moment fresh cause for my 
sister's being jealous of me. Prince Henry of Baireuth was 
much handsomer than Prince Charles. He often joked with 
her, and showed her much civility. This flattered her, and 



186 MEMOIRS OF THE 



Ms manners pleased her far more than her husband's, who 
was extremely shy and phlegmatic. 

About this time we went to Charlottenburg. A great day's 
shooting had been arranged on our way there, to which the 
Prince of Anhalt and his two sons Leopold and Maurice had 
been invited. They were furious at my marriage, for they 
had always flattered themselves that I should yet marry the 
Margrave of Schwedt. Prince Henry was a first-rate shot, 
and had already killed several deer, when an inexperienced 
loader gave him his rifle at full cock. The rifle went off as 
the Prince took it into his hand, and the ball grazed the 
King's temple. The Prince of Anhalt made a great fuss 
about this unfortunate occuiTence, and Prince Leopold said 
quite loud, so that Prince Henry should hear it, that such 
dangerous shots ought at once to be shot do^Ti. Prince 
Henry answered him very sharply, and there is no knowing 
how far matters might have gone had not the Prince of 
Bevern and Seckendorf interfered and effected a reconcilia- 
tion. The King meanwhile had taken no notice whatever of 
the affair, and when the shooting was over we all continued 
our way to Charlottenburg. 

That afternoon the Queen assumed a new character. I do 
not know whether she wished to give us a private representa- 
tion : anyhow if it was so, she gave me very little pleasure by 
it. She began to examine the Hereditary Prince in his 
studies. " Do you know ancient and modern history ? " she 
asked, " also geography, mathematics, philosophy, painting, 
and music ? " The Prince at first answered my mother mth 
a very laconic " Yes " and " No," but when he observed that 
she questioned him as she would a child, he said laughingly, 
^* Yes, and I also know my Catechism and my A B C." 
This answer disconcerted the Queen so much that she put no 
further questions to him. 

After spending a few days at Charlottenburg we returned 
to Berlin. The great control my mother exercised in the 



MAllfi RAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 187 

King's presence over lier fury at my marriage brought on an 
attack of fever. During ttie three weeks which her illness 
lasted, I never left her for a moment. I tried in every way 
in my power to regain her affection, but in vain : she was 
no longer my tender mother, all her love for me had turned to 
hate, of which she gave me daily proofs. I often dined with 
her liadies and Prince Henry in the Queen's ante-room. My 
father had returned to Potsdam, and all the other foreign 
Princes had left Berlin. Whilst we were at dinner, the 
Queen had me watched to observe whether I spoke to the 
Prince. She was, however, unable to find any cause for re- 
proach. Prince Henry has often told me since in what 
despair he was, and how on several occasions he had been on 
the point of breaking off our marriage, had not M. de Yoit 
prevented him. Indeed he was much to be pitied : every- 
body treated him ill, whatever he did was found fault with, 
and he was teased and plagued all day long. 

When my mother had recovered, the King came to Berlin 
for a few days on his way to Prussia. He announced to the 
Queen that on his return in six weeks, he wished my marriage 
to be solemnized. He would therefore give her the money 
she was to spend on my trousseau. The Queen said it was 
impossible for my wedding to take place then. The time 
was too short, the tradespeople would not be able to get their 
goods, and imless a miracle were worked, things could not 
be settled in such a hurry. Owing to my mother's urgent 
representations, the King consented to postpone my wedding 
till November. He told the Queen to make Prince Henry's 
stay as pleasant as possible to him, and, above all things, to 
treat me kindly. The Queen upon this suddenly changed 
her whole behaviour. She was more than amiable to the 
Prince, caressed him, and kept assuring him of her friendship, 
and of the great pleasure it was to her to have him as son-in- 
law. Me she continued to ill-use as heretofore. Not a day 
passed without my shedding bitter tears. Poor Mademoiselle 



188 MEM0IE5 OF THE 



Ton Sonnsfeld, too, had to endure much. The Queen 
reproached her constantly with being the cause of tqj sub- 
mission to the Xing' s will. One day she even said to me, 
" "Well, and if Itademoiselle von Sonnsfeld had been pun- 
ished, would it have been such a great misfortune ? Tou 
would still have been able to become a Queen," I longed to 
saj to my mother, if I had dared, that I would rather lose a 
thousand crowns than lose one person whom I had reason to 
love and respect. Such sentiments were, however, not the 
fashion, and were looked on as weakness. I therefore let my 
silence be my only answer. My position was really a very 
sad one. Even the most unsympathetic must have felt pity 
for me. T might well have exclaimed — 

* Mes maux ont-ils touche 
Les cceurs nes pour la haine ! 

TVlien Grrumkow learned through Eamen how my mother 
was incessantly trying to break oS my marriage, and begin 
fresh negotiations with England, he naturally feared that 
the constant ill-treatment I received would drive me into sub- 
mission to the Queen. He therefore determined to outwit 
her. He turned for help to M. de Sastot, who was the 
Queen's Chamberlain, whom I have had occasion to mention 
before. Grrumkow bade Sastot tell the Queen that the 
Xing repented of having betrothed me to the Prince of 
Baireuth, that he did not like him, and intended to break 
off the marriage on his return to Berlin, and to marry me to 
the Duke of Weissenf els, whom he would make Field-Marshal 
in his army ; that he (Grrumkow) had endeavoured to do all 
in his power to ward off this blow, but feared that there was 
no hope of doing so. This stroke of Grrumkow's succeeded 
perfectly. The Queen found it was, after all, best and wisest 

* Hearts bom to hate — 
E'en these my woes have touched ! 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 189 

to take Prince Henry's part, and to support him. She 
desired me to be more friendly towards him, because, she 
said, she would rather die than see me married to the Duke of 
Weissenfels. 

This period of comparative peace did not last long. Soon 
after my father's return from Prussia, the Queen discovered 
that Grrumkow had tricked her. It is true the King did not 
approve of Prince Henry's refined manners. He would 
rather have had a son-in-law that cared only for wine and 
soldiers. He made the poor Prince drunk every day, " to test 
his character," as he said, " and accustom him to drink." 
Yes, the King even complained to Grrumkow and Seckendorf 
that the Prince was too effeminate, a man without sense, 
whose manners irritated him. As Grrumkow and Seckendorf 
had such speeches repeated to them daily, they feared that in 
the end the King might really take a dislike to the Prince of 
Baireuth, and they advised him to ask to be appointed Colonel 
of a regiment. It was the only way, they told him, of winning 
the King's favour and securing his marriage. The English 
did not cease to murmur at the mistaken measures adopted by 
their King. The Prince of Wales was in despair at having 
lost me, and was moving heaven and earth to get my marriage 
broken off. They knew, Grrumkow and Seckendorf said, that 
there were no other means of frustrating the threatened 
difficulties. Prince Henry was in a great difficulty. His 
father the Margrave, who was a very obstinate man, had 
never allowed his son to enter the military service. In order 
to prevent it, he had given up two Imperial regiments which 
had been raised by Margrave Greorge William, on condition 
that his second son was to have one, and Greneral PhiHppi the 
other. After due consideration, Prince Henry of Ban-euth 
determined to follow Grrumkow and Seckendorf 's advice, and 
to ask the King for a regiment. The King granted his re- 
quest a few days later, and made him a present of a beautiful 
gold-mounted sword, almost too heavy to lift. 



190 MEMOIES OF THE 



All this gossip annoyed me very mncli. I knew the Eang 
too well, and was aware that he considered all those who were 
in his service his slaves. I was snre he would treat the 
Hereiditary Prince in the same manner as he did my brothers 
and the Princes of the Blood, who had no distinction 
heyond their military rank. My snrmises were correct, for 
no sooner had the King retnmed to Potsdam than he let the 
Prince know that he had best join his regiment, which was 
garrisoned in Pasewalk, a small town in Pomerania. The 
Prince was obliged to obey, and left Berlin a few days after 
the King. He was very miserable, and poured forth many 
lamentations to me about our separation. He also said how 
wretched the fear that I disliked hi-m made him, for he could 
imagine nothing else from the cold manner in which I treated 
him. He said he felt most deeply how unworthy he was of 
the honour done him by the King, but he did nevertheless 
deserve it on account of the life-lono: devotion he would 
display for me. He kissed my hands over and over again, 
and when I did not answer him he implored me to be candid 
with him. It would cause him utter despair, he said, if he 
made me unhappy. If, however, he was not repugnant to 
me, then he hoped I would not listen to any gossip against 
him in his absence. He entreated me to answer him. He 
had tears in his eyes as he spoke, and was very deeply 
affected. I was in great perplexity how to reply, but 
at last told the Prince I was well-intentioned to him, 
and appreciated his worth too much to fail in my duty 
towards him. I told him he could set his mind quite at rest 
on that point, "but," I added, '"I am sorry you have entered 
the army. Had you asked my advice it would never have 
happened." Prince Henry replied, *' I was threatened with 
the loss of you, and would rather have accepted the hardest 
conditions in the world and served in every regiment than 
have risked such a misf ortune. '' The Queen, who was walk- 
in? in the avenues of Montbijou, where the Piince and I 



MAKGRAYINE OF EAIREUTH. 191 

were, put an end to the conversation by approaching us with 
Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld. 

Madame von Konnken, Mistress of the Eobes, being pro- 
bably bored by an evening at the dinner-table, sent for 
some sweetmeats from her house. These were in the shape 
of hearts, and contained little verses. Everybody took one 
of these sugarplums, and gave it to a companion. Prince 
Henry gave me one, which he broke in my hand. The Queen 
said this was unheard of. "I do not recognize you any 
more," she said. "Since your hateful marriage is settled, 
you have neither shame nor modesty. I blushed for you 
yesterday Avhen the Prince broke that heart in your hand. 
Such familiarities are not proper. The Prince ought to know 
what respect he owes you." I ventured to reply that I had 
not thought the matter serious, the less so as he had done 
just the same to my sister Charlotte, and she had not been 
blamed for allowing it. However, I promised it should not 
happen again. My answer by no means pacified the Queen, 
who continued scolding Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld about 
my behaviour. 

In a fortnight's time we went to "Wusterhausen. A 
description of this celebrated place will not be amiss here. 
The King had, with the greatest labour, succeeded in raising 
a mound which so well shut out the view of the Castle, that 
you never caught sight of it till you were close upon it. The 
Castle consisted of the main building, the chief point of 
interest in which was a curious old tower, which had served 
as a refuge for the robbers that had built the castle, and to 
whom it had belonged. The Castle was surrounded by a 
moat and ramparts. The water in the moat was as black as 
the Styx, and certainly could not be compared to lavender 
water. A bridge built over the moat led to the Castle. 
There were two wings to the main building, each 
guarded by two black and two white eagles. The sentries 
consisted of ten or twelve large bears, who walked about 



192 MEMOIRS OF THE 



on their liind legs, their front paws having been cut off. In 
the middle of the eonrtyard was a grass plot, on which a 
fountain had been made with great trouble. The fountain 
was surrounded by an iron railing, and steps led up to it. It 
was near this pleasant spot that the Kjng had his " Tabagie." 
Mj sisters and I, with our suites, were lodged in two rooms 
which resembled a hospital far more than rooms in a 
palace. We always dined in a tent, whatever the weather 
might be. Sometimes when it rained we sat up to our ankles 
in water. The dinner always numbered twenty-four persons, 
half of whom had to starve, for there were never more than 
six dishes served, and these were so meagre that one hungry 
being might easily have eaten them up alone. We had to 
spend the whole day shut up in the Queen's room, and were 
not allowed to get any fresh air, even when the weather was 
fine. It was a wonder we did not get bilious from sitting 
in-doors all day long, and hearing nothing but disagreeable 
speeches. 

Prince Henry of Baireuth joined r.s a few days later at 
this delightful residence. My sister paid him every possible 
attention. She had thrown off the mask, and showed plainly 
how much she hated me. She constantly irritated the Queen 
against me, but tried to keep her on good terms with the 
Prince. One day when the Queen had been more than 
usually unkind to me, and I was very sad in consequence, 
she asked me what was the reason of my melancholy. I told 
her what it was, and added that I should soon die if this 
treatment went on much longer. " What a fool you are ! " 
my sister answered, "if I had such a charming lover as you 
have, I would let the Queen grumble as much as she chose." 
" You cannot complain," I said in reply, " for your lover is 
just as charming, and then you have no worries. I am 
teased by everybody, and even the Tvirig deserts me." Upon 
this my sister said in a most coaxing manner, " Very weU, if 
you think Prince Charles so amiable, let us change rings." I 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 193 

thought it was said in joke, so I answered, " As I am in a 
happy state of indifference at present you may have both/' 
'* Well then, give me the ring," she repeated. I then gave 
her my betrothal ring. Upon this she took off the ring 
Prince Charles had given her, and hid it in a corner of the 
room. Dinner time drew near, and I feared that the King, 
whose eyes were everywhere, would discover that I had not 
my ring on. I implored her to give it me back. She would 
not do so, however, and kept it for two days. As neither 
Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld nor I could do anything with 
my sister, we had to ask Ramen's help. She told the 
Queen what I had done, who scolded my sister, and obliged 
her to return me my ring and put on her own again. She 
never forgave me for this. I had only to turn my head 
towards the side of the room where Prince Henry was 
standing, and she at once told the Queen I was making eyes 
at him. 

Grrumkow and Seckendorf were persuaded that England 
would make one more attempt to prevent my marriage mth 
Prince Henry of Baireuth. We were at Makenhau, a pretty 
country seat not far from Wusterhausen, when one fine day 
a Hessian, Colonel Donep, was announced. The King of 
England, who did not wish to expose himself to any more 
refusals, had entrusted these fresh negotiations to Prince 
William of Hesse. He had sent Colonel Donep to my father 
to make some very acceptable proposals to him. Had my 
father wished to cheat Grrumkow and Seckendorf, nothing at 
this moment could have prevented him from doing so. The 
whole matter was kept so secret, that they would never have 
heard of it had not my father himself told them. The King 
was in a dreadful temper during the whole week we spent at 
Makenhau. The Queen had to bear the brunt of it. He 
quarrelled with her from morning till night, and then I 
became the victim of my mother's anger. In addition to this, 
she was inhuman enough to make me go out when I was 





194 MEMOIRS OF THE 



very ill with high fever and an abscess in my throat. When 
the abscess broke I got better. I had caught cold at a repre- 
sentation given by tight-rope dancers in the court -yard at 
Makenhau. The King and Queen looked on at it from the 
windows of their rooms, and my sisters, Prince Henry and T, 
from another. The Prince looked very sad, and said to me, 
" To-morrow my fate will be decided." I was much surprised 
at this remark, but did not venture to ask him what he meant. 
He then continued, " Colonel Donep is come with new pro- 
posals from the King of England. Till now it has been a 
secret even from Grrumkow and Seckendorf, but the King 
told them this morning. They have made the strongest 
representations to him on the subject, but he is still undecided 
what to do." This piece of news so petrified me, that 
I was unable to answer him. That same evening Donep had 
the Queen secretly informed of his mission and his hopes. 
These, and the sad demeanour of Prince Henry, made her 
flatter herself that my marriage with the Prince of Wales 
might still be brought about. She was in the most amiable 
of moods that evening, and made herself more than agree- 
able to Prince Henry. I was in quite a different frame of 
mind. I had taken a grea.t liking to him, and was tired of 
being Fate's plaything. I therefore determined that nothing 
should make me break with him. 

Next day we went to Wusterhausen. The Queen at once 
called me into her boudoir to tell me all the news of the day. 
" Your engagement will be broken off to-day," she told me, 
"and to-morrow, I trust. Prince Henry will take his departure. 
I should hope you have not such low taste as to prefer him to 
the Prince of Wales." As I made no reply, she said, " I 
insist on you telling me what you think about it. You must 
decide, for I have asked you with a purpose : do you under- 
stand me ? " While the Queen was speaking to me I had 
called on all the saints in Paradise for help. I do not 
know if they in truth came to my aid, or if my good 



MARGRA.VINE OF BAIREUTH. 195 

angel inspired me, but I took courage and replied, " Your 
Majesty's wishes liave ever met with my ready obedience. 
When I submitted to the King's orders and accepted 
Prince Henry, I did so for the purpose of restoring peace 
in the family, to spare your Majesty more sorrow and 
trouble, and to have my brother restored to liberty. At 
that time I did not know the Prince of Baireuth, so that 
affection for him did not influence my actions. Now, however, 
that I feel the greatest respect and esteem for him, I should 
consider it a most nnworthy act on my part were I to break off 
my marriage with him. His character, besides, gives not the 
slightest cause for complaint." I had scarcely finished 
speaking, when the Queen overwhelmed me with reproaches, 
and treated me without the slightest consideration. I cried 
most bitterly, for I felt myself once again the victim of 
circumstances, and foresaw no end to my sufferings. Yet I 
knew I must control my emotion in the King's presence. 
He had scarcely spoken to me since my engagement, indeed 
barely looked at me. During dinner my father seemed in a 
very bad temper. In the evening when Prince Henry came 
as usual to supper, he found me alone in the room. He 
rushed np to me in high spirits, saying, " All goes well. 
Colonel Donep leaves to-morrow ; the King has refused all his 
proposals." I pretended to be quite unmoved by this news, 
but it had restored peace to my poor troubled heart. A few 
hours later the Queen was informed, to her great dismay, of 
the total failure of the English Envoy. I had as usual to 
bear the brunt of her anger. 

The King had invited to my wedding the Margrave of 
Anspach and my sister. She was expected to arrive at 
Wusterhausen in a week. The King rode to meet her, and 
on her arrival immediately led her to the Queen's rooms. 
We scarcely knew her again. She had been beautiful, but had 
now completely lost all traces of her beauty. Her complexion 
had become faded, and her whole manner too was altered. 

o 2 



196 MEMOIES OF THE 



The Queen liad always disliked my sister, who had become a 
great favoiirite with my father during my disgrace. !l[y 
father caressed her in every possible way, and incessantly 
called her his " dear Eoyal Highness." The Queen, who 
could not bear more attention to be paid another person 
than to herself, was very much put out, but did not dare show 
it. My sister was most affectionate towards me, and I did 
all I could to show her my joy at seeing her again. After 
dinner my father led my sister to her room, if you can call a 
little attic under the roof by that name. On her being told 
that her maid had not yet arrived, my father pointed to me 
and said, " Tour sister can act as your maid, it is about all 
she is fit for." I was struck dumb by this remark : I had 
not deserved to be treated thus, yet I controlled myself, and 
left my sister soon after the King did. When I reached my 
room I burst into tears, for I was bitterly hurt. The King 
had no right to put my sister before me, for I was the eldest 
of all my sisters. The Queen was extremely angry at it also, 
but her representations on the subject were of no use. 

A fortnight after my sister's arrival, we all returned to 
Berlin. The King had invited the Duchess of Saxe-Meinin- 
gen, the daughter of the Elector Frederick William, the Duke 
and Duchess and Prince Charles of Bevem, and the Margrave 
of Baireuth (my father-in-law) to attend my wedding. 
The Duchess of Meiningen was the first to arrive. She had 
had three husbands, the Duke of Courland, the Margrave 
Christian Ernest of Baireuth, and she was now widow of the 
Duke of Meiningen. She had been most attractive in her 
youth, and was a first-rate actress. Her talent ia the per- 
sonification of different characters seemed to be inborn. She 
had a very round face, and was so stout that she could 
scarcely walk. She showed plainly that she was no enemy 
to good living. Her behaviour was bold and vulgar. 
Although she was sixty years old, she dressed like a young 
gii-1, which made her look very absurd. Her dress was 



MARGKAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 197 

covered with precious stones of all descriptions. The Queen 
was obliged to pay her the first visit. As she was starting 
she desired me to let myself he told as soon as she returned, 
so that I might at once come to her. I did as I was bid. It 
was late, and my mother was that evening holding a reception. 
When I joined the Queen in her apartments I found her 
engaged in entertaining her guests. As soon as she saw me 
she asked me where I had been. I answered, " With the 
Duchess." *' What ! " the Queen exclaimed, " and who 
allowed you to go there ? " "It was by your Majesty's own 
orders I went there," I replied. " I never told you anything 
of the kind," the Queen retorted angrily. " I never ordered 
you to do things which are beneath you. For some time 
past you seem to take a delight in such things, so that it does 
not astonish me." She gave me this reprimand in a loud 
voice before all her guests. Everybody found fault with the 
Queen, and silently pitied me. I was almost beside myself, 
but was obhged to retain my composure. 

The King reached Berlin at the same time as the Duke 
and Duchess of Bevern and their son. The Margrave of 
Baireuth arrived shortly afterwards. As I do not wish to 
interrupt the course of my narrative I will defer my descrip- 
tion of him till some future time. He was presented to me 
in the Queen's presence, and paid me many compliments and 
gave me endless assurances of his friendship. As I was to be 
married in three days the Queen allowed the Margrave and 
Prince Henry to pay me visits whenever they wished, but 
they were unable to take much advantage of this permission, 
as I was nearly all day with my mother. As I was able to 
speak with them for only a few moments of an evening in my 
rooms in the presence of numbers of other people, I cannot 
say that I grew more closely acquainted with them. On the 
20th I went in deshabille to the King. He told me that I 
should have to renounce the Allodial Estates, as all the 
Princesses who married had to do so. I had already been 



198 MEMOIRS OF THE 



informed on this point, so that it did not surprise me. I 
followed the King and Queen into a room where I found the 
Margrave and his son, as well as Grumkow, Thulemeier, and 
Podewils. There was also present M. von Yoit, the Minister 
from Baireuth. They read me the declaration and the oath 
I was to take. It was as follows: — I renounced all the 
Allodial Estates as long as any of my brothers or their 
descendants lived, but in the event of their all dying I re- 
entered on my rights of succession to all, excepting to Prince 
Henry's claims on Jiilich and Berg. I at once took the 
required oath. Then followed another declaration, which 
surprised me more than I can say, the more so as I was quite 
unprepared for it. It was this, that I gave up all claims to 
any of the Queen's fortune, in case she died without making 
a will. Instead of answering with the accustomed oath, " So 
help me God," I remained quite dumb. 

The King, who had never taken his eyes off me the whole 
time, now approached me, and embracing me, said, with tears 
in his eyes, "My dear child, you must agree to this hard con- 
dition. Your sister, the Margravine of Anspach, had to do 
the same. It is merely a form, and your mother is at perfect 
liberty to make a will whenever she chooses." These words 
comforted me somewhat. I kissed the King's hands, and told 
him that as he had promised solemnly to provide for me, I 
could not believe that he would wish to treat me so harshly. 
My father changed colour, and said that there was no time for 
argument. I must make up my mind and sign the deed of 
renunciation with good grace, or else he would force me to do 
so. All this was said in a low voice. The King then led me 
to a table, where I affixed my signature to this delightful 
paper. My father now thanked me most lovingly for my 
acquiescence to his wishes. He made me many fine promises, 
none of which he ever intended keeping any more than I did 
the oath I had been forced to take. After this, we went to 
dinner, at which no one was present except the King and 



MARGRAVINE OF BATREUTH. 199 

Queen, my two eldest sisters, the Duchess of Bevern and 
Prince Henry of Baireuth. The other princely guests had 
received invitations to dine in the town. 

After dinner I began my toilette. I had so many 
maids to help me, with the Queen at their head, that one 
undid what the other had just done. The Queen tried to 
prolong my dressing in every way she could, I never under- 
stood why. At last, at the end of four hours, and after the 
Xing had sent repeatedly to hurry me, I was ready dressed, 
and looked like a madwoman. I had a diamond crown on my 
head, from which twenty-four long curls hung down. They 
dragged my head so that I could not hold it straight. My 
court dress was of cloth of silver. The train, which was 
twelve yards long, was carried by two of my ladies and two 
of the Queen's. Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld had that day 
been appointed Abbess of Wolmirstatten. 

We all went to the State rooms of the Castle. I think a 
short description of them will not be out of place. These 
State rooms consisted of a suite of six large apartments, 
which opened into a large room, remarkable for its structure 
as well as for the beauty of its decoration. Out of this 
you went into other apartments, which finally ended in a 
long gallery, where pictures by celebrated masters were 
hung. Out of this you passed into more apartments, which 
again opened into one very large room. As it was the 
residence of a King there is nothing very remarkable in 
this, but the rich silver ornaments which decorated all the 
rooms made them very magnificent. A s my father had seen 
all the splendour of the King of Poland at Dresden, he was 
anxious to surpass it at Berlin. In order to effect a new 
style of decoration, he had ordered a number of looking- 
glasses to be made. They were from six to seven feet high, 
and so heavy that twenty men could scarcely move them. 
Under each looking-glass stood a table, at which twelve 
people could conveniently dine. The sconces on the wall 



200 ^lEAlOIRS OF THE 



measured four feet, and had lights fastened to them. The 
chandehers were worth from 10,000 to 100,000 thalers.* 
Both these large rooms had bufiets, and each piece of plate 
which decorated them was worth not less than 12,000 
thalers, t Altar candles had to be nsed in aU the rooms, and 
these smoked so much that all the ladies' faces and dresses 
were covered with blacks. The value of all these riches was 
estimated at six million thalers. + In the last of these large 
rooms the marriage ceremony was to take place. For this 
purpose a canopy of crimson velvet with a gold border had 
been erected, and the altar table stood beneath it. After the 
service was over, three salvos were fired outside the Castle. 
All the Envoys, Ministers, those of England included, and 
the Margrave of Schwedt, had received the Thin g's commands 
to attend. It is easily to be imagined that the Margrave of 
Schwedt looked very crest-fallen, and scarcely knew how to 
behave. After I had received the congratulations of all 
present, I had to sit down with the Queen under a canopy. 

Prince Henry of Eaireuth then opened the ball with my 
sister, the Margravine of Anspach. It lasted an hour, and 
then we all went to supper. I presided at the upper end of 
the table. The Elng sat near the Prince and the Margrave 
of Eaireuth near me. My father took great pleasure in 
trying to make the Prince drunk, in which, however, he did 
not succeed. One of my ladies and one of the Queen's stood 
the whole time behind my chair, as well as two of the King's 
gentlemen and two who belonged to my household. One of 
the former was M. von Breiche and the other Major Stacho. 
The other two were my Lord Chamberlain, M. von Toit, and 
my Chamberlain, von Eindemann. 

After the dinner, which lasted two hours, we went back 
to the first of the lar^rest rooms, and here the Polonaise 



^£1,500 to £15,000. t£l|800. $£900,000. 



MARGRAYINE OF BAIREUTH. 201 

(Fackeltanz)* took place. This dance is performed with 
great state. All the Court officials walk in front with long 
wands. The Lieut.-Grenerals follow them carrying torches, 
then come the Bride and Bridegroom, who walk twice round 
the room. After this the Bride dances in turn with each 
Prince present, and then the Bridegroom takes her place and 
dances with each Princess. After the Polonaise was at an 
end I was escorted, according to the prescribed ceremonial, 
to my room, where I was undressed, my mother assisting 
me. I was then laid on a crimson satin bed, and all 
the royal guests and the ladies from the town, with the 
exception of my relations of Brunswick and Anspach, took 
leave of me. As my mother bade me good-night she could 
not resist saying some very unkind things to me. She was 
in a state of utter despair, for a messenger had just arrived 
from England bringing such advantageous proposals, that 
had they been received twenty-four hours sooner my marriage 
with the Prince of Baireuth would certainly have been 
broken off. 

I cannot here refrain from making a few remarks on this 
subject. It will be remembered that on the day of my 
betrothal, England had made some proposals similar to those 
received on my wedding day. I have always had my suspicion 
that these steps were a mistaken policy on the part of England. 
King Greorge had never cared or wished for this marriage for 
his son. He wanted a daughter-in-law who was not clever, 
and who would not mix herself up in politics. I do not 
know whether they had given him an exaggerated descrip- 
tion of my mental gifts. Anyhow, his dislike to my 
marriage had been fostered by his fear that, having been 
brought up at a court so full of intrigues as that of Berlin, 



* This Polonaise is still performed in exactly the same manner at all 
royal weddings at Berlin, and the whole ceremonial observed now is almost 
the same as that described by the Margravine. — Note by Translator. 



202 XEMOmS OF THE 



I miglit be imbued with the same principles. But what- 
ever may have been the reason, the King of England 
was always opposed to this alliance. The Prince of Wales 
and the whole nation, on the other hand, were very anxious 
for it. In order to relieve the state of tension existing 
between the two Courts, King George had thought it 
advisable to make the aforesaid proposals. He had, however, 
worded them so carefully, that they could never lead to any 
result. I have since learned that my father never wished the 
marriage with Prince Henry of Baireuth. ^NTothing but the 
often repeated assurances of Grumkow and Seckendorf that 
this marriage was the only means of obliging the King of 
England to declare himself had made him consent to it. The 
llTargrave of Baireuth was furious at his son's marriage, partly 
from jealousy and partly for other reasons which I shall men- 
tion later on. I therefore saw myself married against the 
wishes of the King, the Queen, and my father-ia-law, and 
yet they all three acted as if they were delighted at it. 
TThen I reflect on it all, I must admire the decrees of fate, 
and my philosophy on the subject must give way to my ex- 
perience. But I must put an end to my moral reflections, for 
were I to note them down, my memoirs would be contained 
in endless folio volumes. 

I have never spoken of my brother since I was set free. 
The King had designated Kiistrin as his prison, and to punish 
him still further, my father would not allow him to put on 
his own uniform. He made hiTn wear a plain French suit of 
clothes, which the King looked on as a mark of shame, My 
brother had this suit made after the same cut as that which 
Katt wore on the day of his execution. The King ordered, 
furthermore, that my brother was to work every day in the 
Finance Department as a simple lawyer's clerk. This 
position is generally given to young men who wish to improve 
their minds. When they have served some time in this 
capacity they are promoted. This post is also given only to 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 203 

the smaller gentry or to young men in the middle classes. 
My brother and I sometimes wrote to each other, Major 
Sonnsfeld managing the correspondence for ns. I had not 
forgotten the promise Grnmkow had given me, in the King's 
name, that my brother should be set entirely free soon after 
my marriage. I asked Sastot to tell Grrumkow, and to ask 
him to remind the King that he must keep his word. 
Grrumkow let me know that I might make myself quite happy 
on this point, as he would make it his especial business to 
speak with the King on the subject. 

The first two days after my wedding passed by quietly. 
Of an evening we went to play at cards in the Queen's 
rooms. My mother's temper grew worse and worse : she 
could no longer bear me. The Margrave of Anspach was a 
very ill-bred young Prince, and wished to ingratiate himself 
with my mother at our cost. He told her every kind of gossip 
about Prince Henry of Baireuth, and only added fuel to the 
fire. The Principalities of Anspach and Baireuth are close to 
each other, and have unfortunately always been at enmity, 
which was the more to be regretted as failing male heirs in 
the one, the succession then falls on the other. Anspach was 
much vexed at the alliance Baireuth had just made, not on 
political grounds, but merely from jealousy. 

On the 23rd, the King gave a ball in the State rooms of the 
Castle. As I was very fond of dancing, I gave myself quite 
up to the pleasure of the occasion. Grrumkow, with whom I 
was dancing, said several times to me, " Your Eoyal Highness 
is so engrossed by the ball, that you do not observe what is 
taking place." At last I asked him what there was to see. 
*' Groodness me," he answered, ''what has come to you to-day ? 
Go and embrace your brother, who is standing there." I was 
so overcome with joy, that had Grrumkow not supported me, I 
should have fallen to the ground. At last I found this 
beloved brother standing near my mother, who was playing at 
cards. I clasped him in my arms. I was quite beside myself 



204 MEMOIRS OF THE 



with happiness. I laughed, I cried and talked the most utter 
nonsense. As soon as the first moments were over, I threw 
myself at my father's feet, and in my deep and heartfelt 
gratitude, said so many touching and tender words, that he 
began to cry. Upon this the whole company also began to 
weep, and there was nothing to be seen but pocket handker- 
chiefs, and the scene resembled the most affecting situation 
in a tragedy. My brother was so much altered that I should 
scarcely have known him again. He had not grown taller, 
but his grief had made him very stout. His former slimness 
of figure had quite disappeared. He was very broad in the 
shoulders, and his head seemed sunk between them : he was 
no longer so handsome as he had been, I could not cease 
caressing him in my joy at his return. He answered me, 
however, rather coldly, and said but little. I presented the 
Hereditary Prince to him, but he did not speak to him. This 
behaviour seemed strange to me, and I was at a loss to under- 
stand it. I did not dare ask him why he acted thus, as the 
King was watching us narrowly. The Queen seemed rather 
pleased to see my brother again, but her happiness in no way 
resembled mine. My mother never loved any of her children. 
She cared for them only as they served her ambitious purposes. 
The gratitude my brother owed me for effecting the recon- 
ciliation with the King spoilt her pleasure. If she alone had 
been the cause of it, she would have behaved quite differently. 
At last we went to dinner, to which four hundred 
couples sat down. They were mostly persons of good birth. 
My father was not present : he dined with my brother. 
When dinner was over Grrumkow came to me, and told me 
the Crown Prince was spoiling his own game by treating me 
so coldly. His behaviour displeased the King, he said, 
because he could but take one of two things for granted — 
either the Crown Prince was exercising great control over 
himself, which was very wounding to the King, as it showed 
he mistrusted his father; or he was quite indifferent, and 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 205 

that seemed to denote no very good heart. " Your Eoyal 
Highness has, on the other hand, conducted yourself 
admirably. You have shown your warm affectionate feelings 
without reserve, and this has delighted the King. Gro on as 
you are doing. Speak quite candidly with the Crown 
Prince, and tell him to be open and straightforward in his 
behaviour. That is the only way to preserve peace in the 
family." Grumkow's advice was good. The ball now re- 
commenced. I told my brother of Grrumkow's remarks, 
and ventured too to reproach him secretly for his altered 
manner towards myself. My brother would not allow this, 
and said he was just the same as ever, but that he had his 
own reasons for behaving as he did. The next day the King 
sent the Crown Prince to see me. He remained a whole 
hour. We had much to say, giving our respective accounts 
of all that had occurred since we had parted. He was very 
reserved with me, and all his assurance of affection and 
friendship seemed forced. He looked several times at Prince 
Henry, and said a few formal words to him. I could not 
make him out : he seemed to me to be no longer that beloved 
brother who had cost me so many tears, and for whom I had 
sacrificed so much. I tried to hide what I felt, and to be the 
same as ever with him. The King gave him an Infantry 
Eegiment, and returned him his sword and uniform. He 
also gave him a yearly income, and settled that he was to 
Kve at Puppin, where his regiment was quartered. 

Several balls were given during the Crown Prince's stay 
at Berlin, and on the other evenings cards were played in the 
Queen's apartments. The Princes had always to accompany 
the King to his " Tabagie," which they left only at dinner- 
time to join the Queen. I have abeady mentioned the bad 
feeling the Margrave of Anspach evinced towards my 
husband. Prince Henry. Since our marriage, this animosity 
had only increased. The Margrave had the impertinence to 
let drop, one evening in the " Tabagie," some remarks on a 



MEMOIRS OF THE 



subject which was most painful to Prince Henry. It con- 
cerned his mother, the Margravine of Baireuth. She was a 
Princess of Holstein, and had been separated for many years 
from the Margrave, Prince Henry's father. She was shut 
up in a fortress in Anspach, and closely guarded. She was 
rather mad, and had in her time done a good many foolish 
things. None of these, however, in the least deserved such 
punishment. Some very cruel jokes about his mother's 
adventures were enough to discompose Prince Henry. He 
answered them by saying merely that he could not treat 
these jokes as they deserved in the King's presence, for whom 
he had so great a respect. He ^would bide his time. The 
Duke of Bevern and his son, who were present, at once 
endeavoured to smooth matters over, and nothing more was 
said. As soon as my husband entered the room, I saw that 
he was put out. I would, nevertheless, not ask him what 
had happened till we were alone together. It cost me a 
good deal of trouble to get him to tell me all about it. I 
cannot say how much I was distressed at the occurrence. I 
represented to Prince Henry what sad results any dispute 
on this subject would lead to. It would remind him and his 
father of a most sad catastrophe which had long been for- 
gotten. Then the person with whom he had the quarrel was 
his own brother-in-law, a sovereign with no heirs. If any- 
thing happened to the Margrave of Anspach, his country 
would fall to him, and he would be^exposed to most unpleasant 
criticism. My husband was at first far too angry to listen to 
my representations. I was only able to obtain a promise 
from him that he would do nothing till next day. 

The Duke of Bevern told the Margrave of Baireuth what 
had taken place at the " Tabagie." My father-in-law accor- 
dingly came to see me next morning, and had a long con- 
versation with his son and myself. The Margrave used 
exactly the same arguments as I had employed. Things 
remained as they were till the evening. Everybody advised 



MARGKAVINE OF BAIKEUTH. 



207 



me to tell the Margrave of Anspach what I thought of his 
behaviour, and then, if possible, to bring about a reconcilia- 
tion between him and Prince Henry. The Duke of Bevern, 
his wife, and many others talked to me on the subject. My 
sister, who knew of the unfortunate occurrence and had 
listened to what was being said to me, now approached me 
with open arms, exclaiming, " I am in despair at what has 
happened : my husband is entirely to blame. I beg you in his 
name to forgive his unpardonable behaviour : I shall tell him 
what I think of it." I replied how grieved I was that she 
had overheard what had been said to me, and that the 
dispute between our respective husbands would in nowise 
lessen my love for her. I entreated her not to involve 
herself in the business, as she would only make matters 
worse, and cause herself much annoyance. At that time she 
was living on anything but happy terms with the Margrave. 
She promised me at last to let matters rest. 

After supper 1 began a conversation with the Margrave of 
A.nspach. I wanted to represent his conduct to him, but my 
sister left me no time : she gave him plainly to understand 
what she thought of his behaviour. He answered her 
in a very loud, gruff voice. Prince Henry imagined this 
answer was meant for him, so he replied in the same tone. 
He approached the Margrave to insist on his giving him 
satisfaction, and threatened to throw him into the fire, 
" where he might roast at pleasure." The Margrave was in 
a dreadful state of terror, and was taken into the Queen's 
audience chamber, where she was walking to and fro, pre- 
tending to know nothing of what was going on. The 
Margrave hid himself behind the curtains, and cried like a 
child. The Duchess of Bevern, who had followed him, now 
came forward and comforted him, saying that Prince Henry 
had no idea of killing him. Meanwhile the Margrave of 
Baireuth, the Prince of Bevern, and my brother had 
assembled round my husband. They could not help 



208 MEMOIRS OF THE 



laTigHng at his suggestions with respect to his opponent's 
behaviour. He said he ought to be birched like a child to 
make him stop crying. However, as they were afraid of 
further consequences, they induced my husband to retire to 
his rooms. The Margrave of Anspach was also conducted 
back to his apartment. His anger and fury were such that 
they brought on an attack of illness, which almost proved 
fatal. During his convalescence he had time to think calmly 
over the matter, and decided to make it up with Prince 
Henry. He entrusted the Duke of Bevem to offer my 
husband his ample apologies, which the Prince at once 
accepted. The two opponents embraced, and no dispute 
ever arose between them again. 

A few days after this my brother left Berlin. Although 
his affection for me seemed to have cooled down, we never- 
theless took a very tender leave of each other. I felt the 
separation keenly. 

My one aim now was to regain my father's affection. It 
was quite useless to endeavour to do so with the Queen, and 
I shall no longer speak of her ill-humour towards me, which 
remained invariable. In the presence of others she was 
more careful, but I suffered ,all the more when alone 
with her. I knew no one could give my father a greater 
pleasure than by procuring him colossuses for his regiment 
at Potsdam. Unfortunately, enormously tall men do not 
grow out of the earth like mushrooms, and I was unable to 
procure such recruits for him. Another means of pleasing 
the King consisted in giving him and his favourites a good 
dinner and plenty of old wine. I therefore determined to 
invite the King to dinner. I never saw him in such a good 
temper or in such high spirits. He treated me and Prince 
Henry in the kindest and most affectionate manner, and 
insisted on remaining the rest of the day with me. My 
father resolved that there should be a ball in the evening. 
He invited all the Princesses of the Blood to it, as well as 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 209 

many ladies from the town. He opened the ball with me, 
and danced with all the ladies, a thing he had never been 
know^n to do before. 

On the 17th of December, my father, with all the Princes 
and other guests, went to Nauen, to shoot wdld boars, and 
returned to Berlin only on the 21st. The Margrave of 
Anspach, who still bore my husband a grudge, had also been 
to Nauen. He determined to play a new trick on Prince 
Henry. As soon as the Margrave returned to Berlin, he 
went to see the Queen, and, as he was her tale-bearer, she 
at once asked him about the visit to Nauen. He took this 
opportunity of inventing the most abominable slanders about 
my husband, whom he accused of the lowest vices. Not 
content with this, he must needs go with these tales to my 
father-in-law, who lent his ear to them. The Margrave of 
Baireuth confided them to my sister, feeling sure she would 
tell me. My mother was delighted at this gossip, and 
determined to amuse herself about it at my expense. When 
I joined her that evening, I very soon noticed that there was 
something the matter. I observed that she shot angry 
glances at Prince Henry, and then spoke in whispers to my 
sister Charlotte. The Margrave of Baireuth was very cross, 
and I could not in the least understand what had happened. 
My sister of Anspach, who loved me very dearly, observed 
my disquietude, and, calling me on one side, told me the 
facts of the case. I was not in the least disturbed, now that 
I knew the whole story. I had been married more than a 
month, and had, therefore, had time to become acquainted 
with my husband's character. I knew he was incapable of 
any low action. I begged my sister, for reasons which I 
explained to her, to say nothing more about it. 

To the Duke of Bevern however I poured forth my com- 
plaints on the subject. He answered me that he knew the 
whole story, and that it w^as pure malicious invention. The 
Prince of Baireuth had lived in the same house with him at 



210 MEMOIKS OF THE 



Nauen, and had never left his side. The Duke added that he 
would take good care that the King and my father-in-law, to 
whom the same lies had been told, should know the exact 
truth of the matter. "As to the rest," he continued, " you 
must be above it all. Let the Queen have the satisfaction of 
rejoicing over what she believes to be your unhappiness." 
That evening the Margrave of Baireuth was very noisy, and 
made his son suffer from his ill-temper. My husband would 
have then and there called the Margrave of Anspach to 
account, had I not prevented him. The story was forgotten 
by next day, but it certainly reflected no credit on the 
Margrave. 

I had hitherto not troubled myself about my pecuniary 
position. Eelying implicitly on my father's solemn promise 
given me at the time of my marriage, that he would amply 
provide for me, I had not enquired further. One day, 
however, curiosity got the better of me and I questioned 
M. von Yoit on the subject. He showed me my marriage 
treaty, and I was greatly surprised to find my position 
almost precarious. 

The marriage treaty contained the following articles. 
The King lent the Margrave of Baireuth 260,000 thalers,* 
without interest, to pay his debts. After two years had 
elapsed, he was to commence repaying the sum in instalments 
of 2500 thalersf. This was the great mark of favour 
promised me. My dowry was 40,000 thalers,:|: to which the 
King added 60,000 thalers§ of his own free will in order to 
make good what I had lost by giving up my claims to my 
mother's fortune. My jointure amounted to 16,000 thalers,|| 
and our joint income with which to meet our household 
expenses, etc., was 14,000 thalers.^ Of this last sum 2,000 
thalers** were for my own use, out of which I had to pay all 
salaries, so that I could really dispose of only 1,200 thalers ft 

* £39,000. t £375. J £6,000. § £9,000. || £2,400. 
H £2,100. **• £300. ft £180. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 211 

for my private use. My disraay is easily to be understood. 
M. Ton Yoit shrugged his shoulders, and said that the 
King had himself settled everything. He had thought I 
was satisfied, otherwise he would have mentioned the 
subject sooner. It was too late now, the evil was done, and 
the marriage treaty signed and sealed. After some reflection 
I determined to speak to Grrumkow, and to beg him to 
represent to the King how cruelly he had treated me. I 
sent accordingly for him and said to him, " You are one of 
those whom the King sent to me to induce me to consent to 
my marriage. You know with what bitter tears and 
reluctance I consented. It was you in particular who 
promised me my father's especial protection, and gave me the 
assurance that he would provide handsomely for me as long 
as I lived. You even used the expression that he would 
favour me more than all the rest of his children. On the 
day I was betrothed, the King himself repeated this to me. 
But far from keeping his promise, my father has even 
provided less liberally for me than for my sister of Anspach. 
I have not even sufficient to live as a lady in private circum- 
stances should." 

G-rumkow listened attentively to me, and, after a moment's 
reflection, replied that I was to be calm, and promised me 
that he would get a pension allowed me by the King. He, 
however, asked me to say nothing about it till the Margrave 
of Baireuth had left Berlin, "Because," Grumkow added, 
" I know my old master too well. "When it comes to the 
question of giving, he is as obstinate as the devil himself. 
He would pick a quarrel with the Margrave, and tell him he 
was giving you more than he did. This would only lead to 
disputes, and would not help your cause. "When once the 
Margrave has left, the King is bound to make up for the 
wrong he has done you." I thanked Grumkow warmly, and 
promised to follow his advice. 

As bad luck would have it, the Queen had been informed 

p 2 



212 MEMOIRS OF THE 



of the occurrence I have mentioned. She would have 
spoken with me about it, had an opportunity offered itself. 
She paid people to spy on me and listen at my doors. 
Grrumkow's visit naturally remained no secret, and feminine 
curiosity made my mother try and discover what our long 
conversation had been about. She found out about half, but 
was most desirous of knowing aU. She, therefore, determined 
to cross-question me. The Queen conversed some time most 
amiably with me, and then mentioned my departure. She 
said she was in despair at losing us, and hoped to postpone 
the evil day as long as possible. " What distresses me 
most," my mother added, " is to know how badly the King 
has provided for you. If I had a reason against your 
marriage, it was that I knew how things would be. You 
have done quite right to speak with Grumkow, because he 
can help you. What advice did he give you ? " I must 
here confess my own stupidity, for I was well punished for 
it. I gave the Queen an account of my conversation with 
Grrumkow, begging her on no account to repeat it. She 
promised me to be silent, and added, "I know too well 
what the consequences would be were I to speak of it." 
Immediately after dinner I went to my own room, and left 
the King and Queen alone together. As my mother did not 
know how to entertain him, she told my father my secret, 
and all that had passed between Grrumkow and myself. No 
sooner had the King left the Queen than he sent for my 
marriage treaty, put his pen through the sum allowed for my 
servants' wages, and reduced our joint income by 4,000 
thalers.* The Queen, quite triumphant at the heroic act she 
had performed, sent for me at once, and said, as she embraced 
me, " You no longer need Grumkow's help. I have an-anged 
it all with your father. I told him of our conversation : he 
pitied you, and has promised to alter everything and 



* £600. 



MARGRAVIXE OF BAIREUTH. 213 

provide properly for you." I was like one petrified, and 
then reproached her bitterly for her imprudence. She grew 
very angry, and spoke most unkindly to me. Grrumkow 
sent me word, that same day, that he would never again try 
to help me. I had spoilt everything by my gossip. The 
King had reduced our income by 4,000 thalers,* and he, 
Grumkow, was very pleased my father had done so, as I 
had not chosen to follow his advice. I had exposed him to 
my father's wrath. I must now see, he continued, how I 
should get on, for he would never again speak for me. I 
was very miserable about it all. I could not even complain 
of what had happened, as it was entirely my mother's fault. 
My patience was exhausted, and what hurt me most of all 
was the knowledge that Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld, and all 
my faithful and devoted servants, would be so badly paid, 
and that I could do nothing. 

The Margrave and all the other royal guests, left soon after 
this. The King went to Potsdam, and I was to join him there 
on my way to Baireuth. I was counting the hours till I should 
reach my new home, for Berlin^had become an object of 
horror to me. I hoped a happy peaceful life was in store 
for me. 

I therefore bore my troubles patiently, hoping they would 
cease with the year 1731. I must now begin with my account 
of 1732. 

A new epoch in my life began with this year. I had not 
for some little time been feeling well, but thought it was the 
consequence of all the sorrow I had been through. I had 
constant fainting attacks. The doctor I consulted accounted 
for my condition by holding out hopes of my having a child. 
The Queen let me know that she wished to spend Twelfth 
Night with me, and that I was to invite all the Princes and 
Princesses, who would then be able to take leave of me. This 

* £600. 



214 :\IEMOIRS OF THE 



little reception proved a very dull one. Everybody had tears 
in his eyes, and seemed much affected at the thoughts of my 
departure. I took a tender farewell of the Margravine Philip. 
Our friendship had in nowise suffered by my marriage. I 
could not say " good-bye " to so many kind friends, without 
feeling deeply affected. 

Next day we went to Potsdam. The Ejng received me 
most kindly. He was highly dehghted at the prospect of 
becoming a grandfather, and made me many affectionate 
speeches on the subject. They, however, produced but little 
effect on me, as I felt far too ill to notice anything. 

Mademoiselle von Sonnsf eld had three nieces, the daughters 
of Greneral Marwitz, a great favourite of the TCing. The 
eldest of these girls was fourteen and would one day be 
a rich heiress. Mademoiselle von Sonnsf eld had taken charge 
of her nieces' education since the death of their mother. 
My former governess was most anxious to take the eldest 
with her to Baireuth, but did not dare ask the King's 
permission. He had only lately published an order, which 
forbade all heiresses or rich young girls to leave his 
country. I induced my father, however, to grant 
Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld's request. I mention this fact, 
as it stands in close connection with future events. The 
day of my departure was fixed for the 11th January. I 
determined to make one last effort to soften the King's heart 
towards me. I chose a moment when the Queen was not 
present. I reminded him of past times, and justified my 
behaviour during the time of my disgrace, but without 
doing the Queen harm. I represented to him my present 
position in the most touching manner, and finally implored 
his protection and help. He burst out crying, and clasped 
me in his arms, and was too much overcome to speak. At 
last my father said, " I am in utter despair. I have never 
really known you. People have represented you to me in 
the blackest colours, so that I hated you as much as I now 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 215 

love you. Now I see that had I spoken to you sooner 
I should have saved myself much sorrow. I often wished to 
do so, but others always prevented me. I have been deceived 
on all sides, and no one is more to blame than your mother." 
I here ventured to interrupt the King and told him that the 
Queen had always had the best intentions, and that her love 
for me and my brother had influenced her actions. " Well, 
then that may be so," my father replied, " what has been, 
has been. But as to yourself, you shall ever be my dearest 
child, and I will favour you most of any of my children. 
Continue to put confidence in me, and you can always count 
on my help and protection. He then gave me some fatherly 
advice, and ended by saying, " It grieves me to part from 
you. Now go and take leave of your mother, whilst I 
embrace your husband, and then you must start." I went 
sobbing to my mother, whom I entreated to restore me to 
her affection. I did all I could to move her, but in vain. 
She answered me civilly, and I could but too well feel that 
none of her words came from her heart. 

The Duke of Holstein then led me to my carriage, in 
which Prince Henry and Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld were 
already sitting. We reached Klosterzina safely that 
evening, and started again next morning. We had not 
driven two stations when one of the horses fell down and the 
carriage was overturned. There were two loaded pistols and 
some heavy boxes in the carriage, and these fell upon me, but 
happily did not injure me. Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld cried 
out incessantly " Have mercy on me." I asked her if she 
were hurt : she answered " No ! " but still continued scream- 
ing. Prince Henry had jumped out of the carriage, and I 
saw that he was not hurt. The whole occurrence was so 
ridiculous that I could not help laughing. I was nearly 
smothered by all the things that were lying on me. At last 
I was with some trouble dragged out from the carriage, and 
the servants carried me into a field covered with snow and 



216 MEMOIRS OF THE 



ice, where they left me standing. I could not move as I 
feared to slip on the ice, and thought I was to be overtaken 
by the same terrible fate as befell Lot's wife when she left 
Sodom, and that I should freeze into an ice pillar. Happily 
the carriage containing my ladies and gentlemen drove 
up at this moment. My ladies were terribly frightened, 
and ran about the field calling out, " But where is 
Her Eoyal Highness?" I answered them in vain: 
they were in such a state that they ran past me and 
asked where I was. I was much amused at their fright, and 
at last persuaded them that it was really I who was speaking 
to them. These poor girls were in great distress lest this 
accident should cause a premature confinement, and offered me 
smelling salts and a hundred other remedies, all of which I 
refused. Prince Henry was no less perturbed. At last we 
continued our journey. 

I forgot to say that the King had desired M. von Burstell 
to accompany me to Baireuth, in the capacity of Prussian 
Minister. We had no sooner reached Torgau, where we spent 
the night, than Burstell went to Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld, 
and begged her to entreat me to remain a day or two at 
Torgau, not "only to rest, but to counteract any ill-effects of 
the carriage accident. Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld quite 
agreed with him, and they both made my husband such 
representations on the subject, that he was quite panic stricken. 
They now came to me with their entreaties. I had noticed 
them approaching, and was determined to have some fun from 
our adventure. 

About this time the great fair at Leipsic was being held, 
which is one of th^ largest in all Grermany. Everybody that 
cares for amusement visits it. In this town I was to pass the 
next night ; and, on the pretext that there was no good 
doctor in Torgau and that the lodgings there were uncomfort- 
able, I arranged with Prince Henry to make a further stay 
of two days. 



MARGRAVINE OF KAIREUTH. 217 

We arrived next day at Leipsic. This town is in Saxony, 
and is celebrated for its University as well as for the fair, which 
I have just mentioned. The town is prettily situated, and 
being surrounded by gardens has a cheerful aspect. Though 
I was neither " sick nor sorry," I went to bed as soon as I 
arrived, in order not to give cause for complaint, and to be 
able to go out next day. My first question was, if there were 
many people at Leipsic at that moment. But oh ! dis- 
appointment, cruel disappointment, I was told everyone had 
left the week before. I was in despair at this, for it had put 
an end to all my little hopes. I spent two terribly dull days 
at Leipsic, and was obliged to endure patiently all the marks 
of honour with which I was overwhelmed. 

We went on next day as far as Grera. I had never seen 
mountains, as there are none in my father's country, and I 
had never travelled. When I saw these heights and 
precipices I opened my eyes, and the perspiration stood in 
great drops on my face. As we proceeded on our way the 
road grew worse and worse, and I was shaken to pieces. In 
spite of every entreaty, I got out and walked : the fear of the 
precipices gave me strength. Surrounded as I was by snow- 
clad mountains, I fancied myself in Lapland. Seeing 
nothing but a few woods in the distance, I sighed, and asked 
when these dreadful mountains would end. I received no 
comfort, for I was told they continued the whole way to 
Baireuth. 

At last, nine days after I had left Berlin, we reached Hof, 
the first town in the principality of Baireuth. Three salutes 
were fired as we entered the town, where all the burghers 
received us. We drove to the Castle. The Lord Chamber- 
lain, von Beitzenstein, with several other gentlemen and the 
nobility of the country, received me at the foot of the stairs — 
if I can call stairs something which looked more like a 
ladder. 

As soon as I reached my room, M. von Eeitzenstein 



218 MEMOIRS OF THE 



welcomed me in the name of tlie ATargTave on my arrival in 
his coiintiy. I then listened to an address from the nobles, 
whom I had been asked to receive kindly. The higher 
nobility enjoy a great many rights and privileges in the 
Empire, and claim to be responsible to the Emperor alone. 
They behave as if they were small sovereigns. Their 
pretensions are most absurd, and are the canse of constant 
quarrels among them. The gentry of the Baireuth district had 
had a dispute with their neighbours, and in the course of the 
endless differences the Margrave of Baireuth had added fuel 
to the fire by wishing to interfere with the privileges of his 
nobles. These rose up in arms, and most unpleasant eon- 
secjuences might have ensued. Peace was restored only after 
much trouble, and the Margrave was obliged to give up his 
intention of intervening. M. von Yoit, my Lord Chamber- 
lain, belonged to the aristocracy of this portion of Baireuth, 
but his property was in the Margravate itself. He explained 
to the Margrave that if he desired to win over this section of 
his subjects to his side, he must treat them loyally and 
kindly. I had been told that these nobles were all of very 
old wealthy families, and hoped I should get to see and know 
them. But I made a great mistake in thinking this possible. 
I must here describe some of those who received me at Hof. 

There were about thirty who had presented themselves to 
welcome me. They belonged mostly to the family of 
Eeitzenstein. Their faces would have frightened little 
children, and, to add to their beauty, they had arranged 
their hau" to resemble the wigs that were then in fashion. 
Their di^esses clearly denoted the antiquity of then- families, 
as they were composed of heirlooms, and were cut accord- 
ingly, so that most of them did not fit. In spite of their 
costumes being the " Court dresses," the gold and silver 
trimmings were so black that you had a difficulty in making- 
out of what they were made. The manners of these nobles 
suited theii' faces and theii' clothes. They might have passed 



MARGRAYINE OF BAIREUTH. 219 

for peasants. I could scarcely restrain my laughter when I 
first beheld these strange figures. I spoke to each in turn, 
but none of them understood what I said, and their replies 
sounded to me like Hebrew, because the dialect of the 
Empire is quite different from that spoken in Brandenburg. 

The clergy also presented themselves. These were totally 
different creatures. Round their necks they wore great 
ruffs, which resembled washing baskets. They spoke very 
slowly, so that I might be able to understand them better. 
They said the most foolish things, and it was only with 
much difficulty that I was able to xDrevent myself from 
laughing. At last I got rid of all these people, and we sat 
down to dinner. I tried my best to converse with those at 
table, but it was useless. At last I touched on agricultural 
topics, and then they began to thaw. I was at once informed 
of all their different farmsteads and herds of cattle. An 
almost interesting discussion took place as to whether the 
oxen in the upper part of the country were fatter than those 
in the lowlands. When dinner was half over, I was told 
that the moment had come to drink the Margrave's health. 
They brought me an enormous goblet to drink from, which 
was so large I could have put my head into it, and so heavy 
that I nearly let it fall. After this, the Lord Chamberlain 
drank my health. There were forty people at dinner, and I 
thought I should have strained my back with the many bows 
I had to make. I was at last so tired that I got up and left 
the dining-room. 

I was told that as the next day was Sunday, I must spend 
it at Hof, and listen to a sermon. Never before had I 
heard such a sermon ! The clergyman began by giving us 
an account of all the marriages that had taken place from 
Adam's time to that of Noah. "We were spared no detail, 
so that the gentlemen all laughed and the poor ladies 
blushed. The dinner went off as' on the previous day. In 
the afternoon all the ladies came to pay me their respects. 



220 MEMOIRS OF THE 



Grracious heavens ! "What ladies, too ! They were all as 
ugly as the gentlemen, and their head-dresses were so 
curious that swallows might have built their nests in them. 
They really looked most ridiculous. Some of these ladies 
had been to Court, and it was amusing to notice the airs 
they gave themselves in consequence. No, I really think I 
never saw anything funnier than the way in which they 
looked at us. 

I spent the whole day in this Noah's Ark. Next morning 
we went on to Grefres, which is about three hours ride from 
Hof . The Margrave of Bau-euth met me here. He received 
me in a wretched little inn, but was extremely civil, and 
overwhelmed his son and myself with assurances of friend- 
ship. That evening, after dinner, he took me to my room, 
and remained standing there for two hours, talking to me of 
Telemachus and Amelot de la Houssaye's Roman History. 
As the amiable Margrave was very slow and precise, his 
conversation resembled that of a sermon read aloud for the 
purpose of sending the listener to sleep. I felt so unwell 
that had not my father-in-law called my servants I should 
have fallen down on the floor. As it was I fainted, and 
remained unconscious for three hours. They wanted to 
induce me to remain another day in this dreadful little inn, 
but I insisted on continuing our journey to Baireuth, which 
was only three miles* off. The Margrave had already 
preceded us. We left after dinner, and arrived at Baireuth 
at six in the evening, on the 22nd of January. The manner 
of my entry into Bau-euth may perhaps excite cuiiosity. 
About half a mile from the town I received an address fi'om 
the Chief Magistrate, M. von Dabeneck. He was very tall 
and thin, and had I not knowTi that he was of good birth, 
I should have taken him for an actor. He declaimed exactly 
like one. At last we reached the town amidst the firing of 



* Six English miles. 



MARGRAVIXE OF BAIREUTH. 221 

cannon. My carnage, drawn by six wretclied post horses, 
headed the procession, then came the carriage with my 
ladies, then one in which the Lord Chamberlain was seated. 
Two others followed with my servants, and then six or seven 
large Inggage carts, which closed this imposing triumphal 
entry. I do not think any royal personage was ever received 
in such a fashion. Somehow or the other curious things are 
always happening to me, even though they be but trifles. 
I was very much put out at my reception, but did not show 
it. The Margrave, his two daughters and the whole of his 
Court received me at the foot of the stairs. I was at once 
led to my apartments. These were so beautiful that I must 
describe them. 

A large, dirty antechamber led into a large room, of which 
the ceiling was the greatest ornament. The paper that 
covered it must once have been very handsome. Now you 
requii-ed a microscope to discover the pattern on it. I at last 
made out that it represented the story of Moses and Aaron. 
Out of this room I went into a boudoir, which was hung 
mth a kind of brocade of which I never could discover the 
colour. The next room was covered with green damask full 
of holes. At last I reached my bedroom. This was also 
hung with damask, and decorated here and there with a little 
gold. It was aU so brand new that after a fortnight there 
were no longer any curtains to my bed : they were so rotten 
that every day a piece fell from them when they were drawn. 
I was struck dumb by the state and appearance of my rooms. 
I had never seen anything to equal it. The rooms them- 
selves were fine and large. No sooner had I reached my 
bedroom than the Margrave placed an armchair for me. We 
sat down and conversed for an hour, which seemed to me 
like a century. After this all the ladies and gentlemen of 
the Court and the guests staying in the Castle were presented 
to me. I will break off here in my narrative to give a short 
account of the Court of Baireuth as it was at that time. 



222 MEMOIRS OF THE 



The Margrave was fifty-foiir years of age. He was of 
middle height, neither handsome nor the reverse. There was 
nothing remarkable in the expression of his face, beyond that? 
on looking closely at him, yon discovered his eyes had a false 
look in them. The Margrave was excessively thin, had crooked 
legs and a very awkward gait, though he tried to appear 
graceful. He was very narrow minded, and his conversation 
very dull. He was civil, but had an unpleasant manner. 
He was extremely vain, and talked incessantly of his powers, 
his justice, and his great determination and firmness. He 
really had a weak character, no head for business, and was 
false, distrustful, suspicious and jealous. Telemachus and 
Amelot de Houssaye were his only topics of conversation, 
and on these he was really rather mad. My father-in-law 
was always thirsting after glory. On the one hand, he did 
things which were unbefitting his rank ; and on the other, 
stooped to the basest actions. He was neither generous nor 
stingy, but never gave anything unless pressed to do so. In 
spite of not being clever, he was a great discerner of cha- 
racter, and knew those intimately who came to his Court. 
He kept a number of paid spies, and these villains did 
endless mischief, and I had much to sufPer from their slander. 

The elder of the two daughters. Princess Charlotte, who 
was unmarried, was very beautiful. She had fine large blue 
eyes, a good nose, and a small mouth : she also had a very 
pretty figure. All these attractions were not enhanced by 
cleverness. She was really quite silly. She had been 
educated by the Margravine of Anspach, who had given 
herself endless trouble with her. It had, however, all been 
in vain. Indeed as soon as you spoke vdth. the poor Princess 
you discovered that she was not right in her head. 

The second daughter, Wilhelmine, was tall and well grown, 
but not the least good looking. She was very pale, and had 
unpleasant features. She was very clever, intriguing, a 
coquette, and jealous. Wilhelmine was her father's favourite, 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 223 

and up to tlie time of my arrival at Baireuth had ruled him 
completely. 

Madame von Gravenreuter, the Lady-in-Waiting to the 
Princesses, was a kind old soul. She was in a great measure 
theu' companion. 

Baron von Stein, first Minister of State, was of a very 
good old family. His appearance at once impressed you 
with his being a man of the world. He was an honest man, 
hut not blessed with much cleverness. He always said 
" Yes " to everything. Baron von Yoit, my Lord 
Chamberlain, was second Minister. He was a gentleman by 
birth and breeding, and had travelled a good deal. He had 
a very cultivated mind, and his conversation was pleasant 
and agreeable. He was both upright and honest. Yoit 
made many enemies by his haughty, determined manner. 
He loved to rule, but was wanting in firmness. "We called 
him " Father Difficulty," for he always perceived difficulties 
everywhere and in everything. 

M. von Fischer, another Minister of State, had worked 
his way up, step by step, till he had attained his present 
position and rank. He was of a very intriguing nature, and 
gave himself the airs of a great gentleman. He was 
altogether a bad man, and very ambitious. The hatred 
he had always borne M. von Yoit had now fallen on me, 
because Yoit had helped in bringing about my marriage to 
Prince Henry, and Fischer feared that he would be a support 
to me. 

M. von Korff belonged to an old Courland family. He 
was a fool, more stupid than the stupid, but entirely 
convinced of his own cleverness. He was selfish and 
intriguing, and a tale-bearer. 

M. von Grieichen, another Court official, was an honest man, 
but very tiresome. His face plainly showed that Actseon's 
fate was his doom. 

Colonel von Eeitzenstein had a love of intrigue, and yet 



224 MEMOIRS OF THE 



I never saw a duller member of society. His heart was 
black : lie was selfish, ill-naturecl, and ready to sacrifice 
everything to his ambition. He drank deeply, and was very 
coarse. 

M. von Yittingshofen resembled Colonel von Eeitzenstein 
in everything, with the exception of his being more amiable 
and accommodating. He had a most uncharitable tongae, 
and spared no one. Everybody, both prince and beggar, 
had to suffer from it. 

The other members of the Court I pass over in silence, 
and I have mentioned only those who have any connection 
with these memoirs. One and all they were, with the excep- 
tion of von Yoit, insupportable. It was impossible to 
converse with any of them on other subjects than horses and 
cattle. They could in no way count as belonging to good 
society. Their chief amusement was drinking from morning 
till night. It is easily imagined what my feelings were on 
this point. 

The dinner was badly served, and I could scarcely touch 
anything. Nearly all the dishes were cooked mth vinegar 
and onions. 

We were scarcely half through dinner when I became 
indisposed, and had to retire to my room. No one had taken 
the least trouble to make things comfortable for me. My 
rooms were not warmed, the windows were broken, and the 
cold was intolerable. I spent a miserable night, and made 
many sad reflections on my present position. I loved the 
Prince passionately, but seemed transplanted to a new world, 
among people who were peasants rather than gentlemen. 
Poverty was everywhere apparent, and I sought in vain for 
the riches I had been promised. There was nothing left but 
to hide my aching heart under a smiling face. 

I held a reception next day. I thought the ladies very 
unamiable and tiresome. Baroness von Stein insisted on 
taking precedence of Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld, which 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 225 

annoyed me very much. I complained to the Margrave 
abont it, and he said he would try and bring her to reason. 
He did not, however, succeed, and Baroness von Stein never 
appeared again at any Court ceremony when Mademoiselle 
von Sonnsfeld was present. There were many Court func- 
tions held in my honour, and I will describe one of them. 

The ceremony was ushered in by the blowing of trumpets 
at three stated times, namely eleven and half past eleven in 
the morning, and noon. The second time the trumpets 
sounded, the Hereditary Prince, accompanied by the Court, 
proceeded to the Margrave's apartments, whilst the two 
Princesses came to mine. Soon afterwards, the Margrave and 
Court, all in State dress, joined me. The Lord Chamberlain, 
carrying his wand of office, then announced that all was in 
readiness, upon which the Margrave offered me his hand and 
led me to the dining-room. This room was hung with the 
same kind of brocade as my boudoir, and the colour was 
equally faded. A table laid for twenty people was placed on 
a dais under a canopy, and round it stood a company of 
soldiers. I sat at the upper end. All the nobility and Court 
officials remained standing behind the table till after the 
first course had been served. It had been wished that my 
ladies should do the same, but I would not hear of it. 
Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld, the foreign Envoys, the 
Ministers and chief officials alone dined at my table. I 
drank the Margrave's health out of a large goblet, and the 
health of the whole House of Brandenburg was drunk 
with all possible honours. This intolerable magnificence 
lasted three hours, and would have gone on still longer had 
I not felt ill. I was feeling very unwell, and grew daily 
weaker. Several fetes were given in my honour, but I was 
able to be present at them only for a quarter of an hour. 

At last I craved the Margrave's permission to stay in my 
own rooms, and not to appear any more at any of these 
functions. Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld kept me company. 

Q 



226 MEMOIRS OF THE 



I also made an excuse for no longer receiving the Margrave's 
visits. He would sit all day long moralizing in my room. 
He really did it for th.e purpose of observing how my 
husband and I got on together. 

Up to this time I had had no reason to complain of my 
father-in-law, and flattered myseK that with a little patience 
I should get on quite well with him. But I did not know 
him. Princess Wilhelmine was very jealous of the influence 
I was gaining over her father, and Fischer was equally 
vexed at it. These two set to work to counteract the good 
understanding that existed between the Margrave and 
myself, and I was stupid enough to give them the opportu- 
nity. It will be observed that in these memoirs I do not 
hesitate to mention my failings, and the mistakes I made. 

Through my father's interposition, M. von Yoit had been 
appointed Lord Chamberlain in my household. Hitherto he 
had stood high in the Margrave's favour. As soon, however, 
as he saw how devoted Yoit was to Prince Henry and 
myself, he became jealous of him, and began to take a dislike 
to him. The Margrave, however, managed not to let Yoit 
perceive this. M. Fischer, who hated him, stirred up the 
Margrave's anger still more against him. He told him that 
as M. von Yoit belonged to the older nobility, he would vdn 
the Hereditary Prince over to their side, which might lead to 
deplorable results. This portion of the nobihty, which was 
very powerful, might form a party, Fischer proceeded to say, 
who might force the Margrave to abdicate. They might do 
so with less risk, as they knew that the King, my father, 
would be sure to support Prince Henry. From all he had 
heard, Fischer continued, I was very fond of intrigue, besides 
being very clever. The Margrave, therefore, ran the risk of 
sharing the fate of Yictor Amadeus of Sardinia. 

The Emperor was a fii'm ally of my father's, and would 
certainly help him. It is easy to see that this was aU a pure 
invention on M. von Fischer's part, without a semblance of 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 227 

truth. Yet it fulfilled its object. It was to Fischer's 
influence I owed my beautiful reception on my entry into 
Baireuth. 

I bad scarcely been a fortnight in my new home before 
M. von Yoit told me that he had received no reward or mark 
of favour from the Margrave, though he had been instru- 
mental in bringing about my marriage. He did not either 
receive any salary, while his position as Lord Chamberlain 
had caused him many great expenses. Yoit therefore begged 
me to intercede with the Margrave for him, and to obtain 
for him the post of Great Lord Chamberlain. He would, 
in that case, waive all further pecuniary advantages. I 
thought his demand reasonable, and promised him to speak 
with the Margrave when a favourable opportunity presented 
itself. 

Before leaving Berlin, my father had given me a service 
of silver plate. The Margrave was very anxious to see it, 
and I said jokingly to him, he should do so when he 
came to dine with me. A few days later I gave a dinner 
on purpose. I heard afterwards that my father-in-law was 
in a very bad temper that day. My service of silver plate 
was much richer than his, and that irritated him. He how- 
ever forced himself to be very civil to me, and praised me 
incessantly. Thinking this a good moment, I gave him M. 
von Yoit's letter, supporting his petition as strongly as I 
dared. The Margrave changed colour, and answered me 
very angrily that he begged that I would never in future 
ask favours for anyone. He was quite able to judge for 
himself in these matters without being reminded by others. 
This answer fortunately took me so much by surprise, that 
I was unable to speak. I was, nevertheless, furious with my 
father-in-law ; and, though I kept my tongue in bounds, 
my face showed unmistakably what I felt. He, on the 
other hand, looked like a madman, and we soon left the 
dinner table. Many that had observed the occurrence and 

Q 2 



228 IMEMOIRS OF THE 



wished to preserve peace, endeavoured to restore the Mar- 
grave's good temper by encoiu-aging him to drink, for he 
was of very intemperate habits. He accordingly sat down 
with several people belonging to his Court, and remained 
there for three hours, drinking wine with them. The 
Hereditary Prince was never present on these occasions, 
but always re&ed to his rooms as soon as dinner was 
over. 

After dinner there was a ball. I was almost choking with 
rage at what had taken place, and longed badly to vent it on 
some one. At last I found Mademoiselle von Sonnsf eld and 
M. von Burstell, who were conversing together in my boudoir. 
I told them what had happened, and how I had been treated. 
I was excessively annoyed, and so were they. Burstell only 
made me more so, and Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld, who was 
of a very lively temperament, added to my anger. In her 
zeal and devotion for me, she went to the Margrave and 
reproached him very respectfully for his conduct towards me. 
He answered her coldly, and she rephed to him again, till a 
quarrel ensued. It ended in my father-in-law leaving the 
ball in a great rage, without even bidding me good-night. 

Burstell had informed the Hereditary Prince of all that 
had taken place, and as he was young and fiery, a 
" devil of a row " ensued in my room. Mademoiselle von 
Sonnsfeld cried, and the Prince, Burstell and I all spoke at 
once. I must confess to my own weakness. I had been 
brought up in Berlin with grand ideas, and had been destined 
to wear four cro^Tis. How these prospects were destroyed 
my narrative has abeady shown. I imagined that my father 
could make laws for all other Princes, and that my marriage 
had been a great honoiu' for the Margrave. Also that he 
never could treat me with enough respect. Biu'stell laboured 
under the same idea. He was very clever, but too 
hot-tempered. "We were unable that evening to aiTive 
at any conclusion. Yoit, who was very timid, and was fear- 



MARGRAVIXE OF BAIREUTH. 229 

ful I might be induced to take some hasty step which would 
ruin him, prevailed on us to separate. 

Next day von Yoit received a written reprimand from 
the Margrave, on account of his having chosen me as the 
medium for obtaining favours from him. To humiliate him 
still more, my father-in-law ordered him to return him the 
Order he had given him. He said, that as he was a Knight 
of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, he could not wear 
two orders at the same time. Chamberlain von Eeitzenstein 
was entrusted with the delivery of this message. After he 
had fulfilled his task, he begged M. von Yoit to tell us that 
the Margrave was extremely angry with me, but still more 
so with Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld ; and that he would 
write to the King, and ask him to recall her from Baireuth. 
Yoit told us all this in Burstell's presence, who wished at 
once to send a messenger to Berlin with letters informing the 
King of this annoying occurrence. I quite agreed with his 
suggestion, mistaken as it was. Mademoiselle von Sonns- 
feld, however, prevented its being carried out. She advised 
Bm'stell, in the presence of several of the Margrave's spies, 
to tell my father-in-law that he had meant to write to the 
King, but, at my request, had refrained from doing so. 

The Margrave now pretended to be very ill. Our plan, 
however, had fulfilled its purpose. Burstell's anger and my 
apparent generosity pacified the Margrave. My father-in- 
law wrote me a most amiable letter next day, which I 
answered in the same tone ; and the matter, outwardly at 
least, was set at rest. The Margrave did not love me, nor I 
him. 

Shortly after all this, I received a letter from my brother. 
It was full of complaints. "My life has hitherto been 
bearable," he wrote. " I have lived quietly in garrison. I 
have had my books and my flute, and a few pleasant com- 
panions. Now I am torn out of this quiet, and am to be 
made to marry a person whom I have never even seen. My 



230 isiEMoiEs or the 



consent lias been forced from me : I am very wretched about 
it all. My destined bride is tlie Princess of Bevem. Am I 
always to be tyrannised over, witbont even having the hope 
of better days? Oh, if only yon, my adored sister, were 
still here, I wonld then bear cTerything patiently I " I was 
deeply touched by this letter. I loved this brother so 
ardently, and his return to his old affectionate manner 
towards me made me very happy. 

Not long after I had received this letter, I heard from the 
Queen that the Duke and Duchess of Bevem and their 
daughter had arrived at Berlin, and that my brother's 
betrothal would be declared immediately. My mother wrote : 
" the Princess is very handsome, but as stupid as a bundle of 
straw. I cannot understand how your brother will get on 
with such a goose." This news distressed me greatly. It 
was not alone grief at my brother's sad fate, but it brought 
with it many other worries in its train. Princess Wilhelmine 
had flattered herself that she would marry the Crown Prince. 
In the hope that I would speak very favourably of her to my 
mother, she had been most amiable towards me. Such an 
idea as her marrying my brother had never entered my mind. 
Princess "Wilhelmine would not in any way have suited him, 
nor my family. She was too intriguing and too ugly. The 
news of the Crown Prince's engagement to the Princess of 
Bevern destroyed all her hopes at one blow. She insisted 
that I had worked against her interests, and determined to 
revenge herself. 

A few days later I again received letters from my mother 
and my brother. They informed me that the maniage had 
been announced. My brother told me further that he had 
induced Duke Alexander of Wiirtemberg to pass by Baii^euth 
in order to tell me many things which he could not trust to 
paper. He said the Duke had started on the day he wrote- 
I calculated, therefore, that he must reach Baireuth that very 
night, and I sent and let the Margrave know of the Duke's 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 231 

arrival. My fatlier-in-law sent me word tliat lie wished me 
to do the honours for him, as he was ill and should be unable 
to leave his room for several days. This was not true, but 
the Margrave disliked society, and especially that of strangers. 
That very afternoon, the Duke Alexander sent us one of his 
gentlemen to announce his arrival that evening. His carriage, 
however, broke down, and he arrived only at eleven o'clock 
at night. He came at once to see me and deliver all my 
brother's messages. He told me that Grumkow and Seckendorf 
were more powerful than ever, and that my brother's marriage 
was entirely their doing. The Duke said that the Princess 
of Bevern had been very badly brought up ' and had no 
manners whatever ; that she could say only "Yes," and "No," 
and had besides an impediment in her speech, which made it 
difficult to understand what she said; that my brother 
could not bear her ; and that it was much to be feared that the 
marriage would turn out very unhappily. I spoke for an 
hour with Duke Alexander, and afterwards presented the two 
Princesses to him. He merely bowed to them without saying 
a word. The evening passed so pleasantly that it was 
three o'clock in the morning before I got to bed. Princess 
Wilhelmine was extremely offended that the Duke had not 
spoken to her, and was in a very bad temper all next day. 
She quarrelled with Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld, complained 
that I treated her like a housemaid, and said I was the 
cause of the Duke's not having conversed with her. Made- 
moiselle von Sonnsfeld, who had a very quick temper, came 
at once to me, and reproached me with my behaviour to the 
Princess Wilhelmine. I was very angry at this, and 
answered her sharply, after which I turned round and left 
her. The Duke spent the whole day with us, and left in the 
evening, delighted with my husband and myself. He was 
much dissatisfied with the reception the Margrave had 
accorded him. The Duke had paid his respects to my 
father-in-law before leaving. 



232 MEMOIRS OF THE 



Tlie Margrave contmuing indisposed for some days longer, 
Princess Willielniine sent a Frencli lady to see him. She 
was a bad insolent creature. Wicked tongues pretended she 
was the Margrave's mistress, but I believe this was not the 
case. This person had a long conversation with the Margrave, 
in consequence of which Princess Wilhelmine was invited to 
dine quite alone with her father. She came to see me after 
dinner was over. She appeared with red swollen eyes, so 
that I enquired kindly what was the matter, saying I feared 
she had had some annoyance, as I could see she had been 
crying. She answered me most ironically that she had no 
worries of any kind. Her father had been more than kind, 
and she had nothing left to wish for. She then added that 
she only had a cold. I had been too thoroughly schooled in 
such speeches to believe what she said, and my suspicions 
were aroused. My surmises were correct, for I soon 
discovered that Princess Wilhelmine had been saying the 
most cruel things of me to everybody. She had worked the 
Margrave up to such a pitch of anger against me, that he 
endeavoured to annoy me in every possible way, though 
before others he always appeared to be most devoted to me. 
The Princess was not satisfied with trying to make mischief 
between her father and myself, but must needs try and gain 
her brother's favour. I have already described Prince 
Henry's character, and have also mentioned that he had not had 
the best of education. He did not care for any serious 
occupations, and in this he shared his sister's taste. They 
spent most of the day walking together in the woods, some- 
times they went out shooting, and sometimes even amused 
themselves in playing at childish games. I was in a sad 
condition, so ill that I spent nearly all my day in bed. The 
bad weather prevented my getting out into the air, so that I 
saw very little of my husband, and when he was with me he 
said but little. Everybody complained to me of him. His 
father even said that if he continued behaving as he did he 



MARGRAVINE OF EAIREITTH. 233 

would never be fit to succeed him. All this caused me great 
grief. I often pretended to be asleep only to be left alone. 
I was devoted to Prince Henry, and it was his friendship 
alone that could make my present existence bearable. I was 
not even able to buy myseK a dress. I had received my two 
quarters' allowance in advance before leaving ]3erlin, but this 
sum had all been spent in necessary presents, towards which 
the King and Queen had never given me a penny. I was like 
a lamb among wolves : I was settled in a strange country, 
at a Court which more resembled a peasant's farm, surrounded 
by coarse, bad, dangerous and tiresome people. I had no 
amusements or distractions of any kind. I was daily plagued 
by bodily suffering, and tormented on all sides. I often 
complained about it all to Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld, who 
tried to comfort me, but she was really as unhappy as I. 

It is but fair that after writing of so much that is sad, I 
should for once try and paint some funny pictures, and dry 
my eyes for a little while. St. Greorge's day was approaching. 
It was on this saint's day that the Margrave Greorge 
Christian had instituted the order of the Eed Eagle, in 
remembrance of which a great fete was held every year on 
that day, and my father-in-law appointed new Knights of the 
Order. This order was thought very highly of, and given 
only to persons of the highest rank, and it was considered a 
great distinction to receive knighthood. Although I was 
more dead than alive, I had myself transported to the 
" Brandenburg House," a castle about a quarter of an hour's 
drive from Baireuth. This castle deserves a description of 
its own. A beautiful avenue of limes leads to the castle, which 
lies between two gardens. The chief building is of stone, 
and you pass into it through an archway. The staircase is very 
fine. The outside of the house has many faults : the two 
wings are not of stone, and Margrave Greorge Wilhelm had 
made a plan for building two new wings. The inside of the 
castle contains one fine large well-proportioned room, having 



234 MEMOIRS OF THE 



eight smaller apartments on each side of it, opening one 
into the other. This is a very inconvenient arrangement. 
The rooms were all hadlj furnished, like those in the castle 
at Baireuth. One of the gardens is bordered by a lake on 
which charming gondolas were anchored in the little bay 
formed by an island. The whole position is most lovely. 

Early in the morning of St. Greorge's day all the cannons 
were fired in the harbour, and were answered by those on 
the boats. Then three flourishes of trumpets were blown, 
and after the third the Hereditary Prince and all the 
Knights of the Red Eagle proceeded to church. After 
church the Prince came to see me, and we then went 
together, accompanied by the whole Court and all the 
Ladies of the town to congratulate the Margrave, and to be 
present when the new Knights were created. The Margrave, 
beautifully dressed, stood leaning against a table which 
had been placed there on purpose. He really imagined he 
was Emperor, and affected during these days an imperial 
manner. His serious majestic demeanour was intended to 
impress every one very much, but it really made him appear 
most ridiculous. To me he appeared more like a clown 
than an Emperor. "When the Margrave had received the 
empty compliments of all present, he caused three or four 
gentlemen to be called into his presence, to whom he gave 
Orders. He addressed them in turn in very ill chosen, 
badly expressed language. Then there were fresh salvos 
fired, and the trumpets blew again, and after this there was 
a great noise. We all went to dinner. Every health that 
was drunk was accompanied by the firing of cannon. I 
was present only for a few moments at the dinner. Every- 
body drank a great deal too much wine, and in the evening- 
there was a ball. I was not present at it, being too unwell. 
Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld had sprained her ankle, so she 
stayed with me. Though it was the end of April, it was so 
cold that we had to have fires everywhere. Mademoiselle 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 235 

Yon Sonnsfeld's room caught fire, and the flames spread to 
my ante-room. It was happily soon put out, and so 
quietly too, that I knew nothing of it till next day. This 
accident put an end to the fetes which were to take place, 
and we returned to Baireuth, to my great joy, for the cold 
had done me much harm. 

Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld now reminded the Margrave 
that as my confinement would take place in a few months, he 
must command that I should be prayed for in all the churches.* 
The Margrave ridiculed the bare idea of his soon becoming a 
grandfather, and laughed at Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld. 
The prospect of an heir, however, caused great joy thoughout 
the land. This annoyed my father-in-law extremely, and he 
said he hoped I should have a daughter, as if I had a son he 
should be obhged to increase our income. His bad temper was 
only increased by the news brought by M. von Fischer's 
emissaries, who constantly told the Margrave that his son was 
far more popular than he was, and that everybody looked up 
to the Prince as the rising sun. My father-in-law's fury 
against his son increased day by day. On one occasion he 
took him into his own room, and reproached him bitterly with 
his supposed intrigues, and the plots he had been said to have 
made with the nobility of the Empire. The Hereditary 
Prince could not understand what his father meant, and told 
him that he had never done anything of the sort : it was the 
invention of ill-intentioned people, who wished to create a 
bad feeling between them. Prince Henry asked the Margrave 
to enquire into his conduct as he was ready and able at any 
moment to prove his innocence. Instead of being pacified by 
this answer, the Margrave flew into a violent passion, which 
might have had disastrous results had I not interfered. I 
found my father-in-law holding my husband by his collar, 
and had Prince Henry not been the stronger of the two, and 

* This is still done for Royal personages in Germany, on these occasions. 



236 MEMOIRS OF THE 



cauglit liolcl of his father's hands, I am sure the Margrave 
would have struck him. My horror is easily to he understood. 
My presence prevented the Margrave from attempting any 
violence, for in spite of the hatred he hore me, he stood in 
great awe of me ; and as soon as he saw me he turned round 
and left the room. The whole scene had upset me so much 
that I fell into a deep swoon, which lasted some time. The 
Hereditary Prince was in a terrihle state of mind, and furious 
with his father, hut he had so kind and good a heart that I 
persuaded him to make it all up with his father next day. 
I availed myself of this opportunity, and had a long conversa- 
tion with the Margrave, in which I represented to him the 
harm he did himself hy treating his son in such a manner. 
I told him that the fright he had caused me hy this terrihle 
scene might have very grave consequences in my present state 
of health. That if anything went wrong I should hold him 
answerahle for the death of my child. My father-in-law 
made me many civil speeches, which I was ohliged to accept 
as heartfelt, hut matters remained unchanged. 

I was hied next day, and had to keep my hed for ahout a 
week. During this time Princess "Wilhelmine was very 
assiduous in her attentions to me. I saw at once that she 
had some end in view, hut what it was I could not discover. 
At last one morning she came to me and said she wished to 
speak to me quite alone. After I had sent every one out of 
the room, she hegan hy saying, that heing well aware of my 
affectionate interest in her, she sought my help in a matter 
of some moment. She begged me to induce her father to 
think of a marriage for her. She went on to tell me that 
she knew her cousin, the Hereditary Prince of East Fries- 
land,* and that when children they had been very devoted 
to each other. She was still very fond of him, and she 
knew that her aunt, the Princess of East Friesland, wished 



* A province of Hanover. 



MARGRAYIXE OF BAIREUTH. 237 

the marriage extremely. Her aunt had often asked the 
Margrave to let Princess Wilhelmine go and stay mth her, 
and had promised to treat her like her own daughter, and 
provide for her as such, as she had no daughters of her own. 
My sister-in-law spoke her mind very plainly ahout her 
father, and complained that he took no trouhle whatever to 
think of her future. She should never have the courage to 
speak to him herself on the subject, she said, so that she 
implored me to do so, and to arrange that she might he 
allowed to visit her aunt at Amich. I strongly suspected 
that this whole business was some trick or other played in 
the hope of getting me into some diJSiculty, and was there- 
fore much perplexed what answer I should make. I replied 
that, notwithstanding my wish to help her as much as lay in 
my power, I saw many difficulties in the way of carrying 
out her plan. I said that I had never mixed myself up in 
marriage intrigues and never would, and still less in being a 
party to her leaving Baireuth. I advised her to consider 
seriously the step she wished to take, and not to enter on 
any negotiations before receiving satisfactory assm^ances from 
East Friesland. Should her cousin, the Hereditary Prince, 
have changed his mind, or should he no longer please her when 
she saw him again, she would, having once undertaken the 
journey for that pm-pose, feel herself bound in honour to 
marry him. I entreated her to reflect well over it all. 
Princess Wilhelmine answered that she had considered it all 
well, and weighed every point, and I must therefore bear her 
great ill-will to desert her in this manner. Upon this she 
began to cry, and renewed her entreaties, till I at last gave 
w^ay and promised her to speak to the Margrave. When I 
did so my father-in-law was much surprised, and sent for his 
daughter, who agreed with me in all I had said, and pressed 
him to grant her request. He at last consented, but only on 
condition that he should first receive the necessary assurances 
with respect to the marriage. He said he would write 



238 MEMOIRS OF THE 



tliat very evening to the Princess of Friesland on tlie 
subject. 

About tbis time the Emperor bad gone to Carlsbad for 
the bealtb of tbe Empress. Their only son had died in 
1716, and they had left only three daughters. People hoped 
Carlsbad would restore the Empress' health, and that con- 
sequently another son might yet be bom to them. This was 
the earnest hope of the whole of Grermany. Several evil 
advisers induced my father-in-law to go to Carlsbad and pay 
his respects to the Emperor. The Hereditary Prince was 
most desirous of accompanying his father, and received a 
reluctant permission to do so. They started at last, with a 
small suite, and returned home again after a fortnight. The 
Emperor and Empress had taken a great deal of notice of my 
husband, and had talked almost entirely to him.. The Prince 
had, on the other hand, been very much bored, as the Mar- 
grave would not allow him to mix with the society at 
Carlsbad. After my father-in-law and Prince Henry's 
return, we all went to the " Hermitage," a perfectly unique 
country seat near Baireuth. After the Margrave's death my 
husband made a present of it to me, and I did a great deal to 
it. The Hermitage was afterwards considered one of the 
most beautiful castles in Grermany. I will give a description 
of it later on. During our stay at the " Hermitage," the 
Princess of Weikersheim paid me a visit. She was first 
cousin to the Empress, and had married the Prince Hohen- 
lohe- Weikersheim. His first wife had been a Princess of 
Culmbach, the Margrave of Baireuth's sister. The Princess 
of "Weikersheim was ugly, but she seemed to me to be very 
clever. The Margrave was exceedingly fond of her, and she 
had great influence with him. Poor Princess Charlotte was 
in a most depressed state, and often complained to me of the 
ill-treatment she received from her father and sister. She 
had really much to bear from them, for the Margrave disliked 
her, and Princess Wilhelmine, who was of a very jealous 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 239 

nature, treated her sister like a common servant. I was 
imable to make the poor Princess' position any pleasanter. 
She knew the Princess of Weikersheim, and confided her 
woes to her. This Princess offered to take her with her for 
three weeks, till such time as Princess Wilhelmine should 
have left Baireuth. The Princess of East Friesland had 
answered the Margrave that nothing would please her more 
than a marriage between their respective children. She 
expected her niece's arrival with impatience ; and should the 
young people please each other on nearer acquaintance, the 
betrothal was then to be announced. The Margrave was 
overjoyed at the prospect of getting rid of his eldest daughter. 
He came at once and told me that she would leave in a few 
days with the Princess "Weikersheim. 

The great friendship existing between my husband and 
Princess Wilhelmine gradually cooled down. He had reason 
to find fault with her general conduct, added to which her 
constant intrigues and the ill-natured things she was always 
saying of me made him very angry. The Hereditary Prince 
now scarcely left my side, and was full of tenderness and 
attention towards me. I imagined this change of manner had 
in some measure been caused by Princess Wilhelmine's 
intention of going to East Friesland. Up to this time she 
had flattered herself that she was all powerful with her 
brother, and had succeeded in making me quite subordinate 
to her. Finding out, however, that she had made a great 
mistake, she preferred marriage with the Prince of East 
Friesland to remaining at Baireuth. She accordingly took 
her departure, and was much missed by her father and 
the scandal-mongers of the Court. The Margrave accom- 
panied his daughter as far as Himmelscron, where he took 
leave of her. The Hereditary Prince and I remained at the 
" Hermitage," where we spent some quiet days. Our peaceful 
existence was not of long duration, for the Margrave's return 
put an end to it. Not a day passed that I was not annoyed 



240 MEMOIRS OF THE 



in some way or other, and I lived in a state of perpetual 
constraint. 

M. von Bnrstell had returned to Berlin much displeased 
with the Margrave, who had, before his departure, treated 
him most unbecomingly. In spite of my entreaties, he 
informed my father of all that had taken place. The King 
had a very tender heart, and the description of my position 
at Baireuth distressed him greatly, more especially the 
accounts of my wretched state of health. He himself wrote 
me a most touching letter. This was a mark of f avom- shown 
only to those for whom he really had an affection. He wrote 
as follows : " I am much grieved, dearest daughter, to hear 
how much you are teased and plagued. Though you have 
yom-self never mentioned it to me, I am well aware that you 
are quite ill through it all. It is absolutely necessary that 
you should come here to your loving parents. I will have 
comfortable apartments prepared for you so that your confine- 
ment may take place here. You can count on my friendship 
and affection as long as I live, and I will provide for you in 
every way." These are my father's own words. I received 
many similar letters from him. 

I was as ill as possible. My patience and Prince Henry's 
was nearly exhausted. We could not stir without the Mar- 
grave's permission. If the Pruice rode out two days running 
there was no end to the scoldiQgs, and he was told that he 
ruined the horses, and should have no more to ride. If he 
went out shooting he was informed that he disturbed the 
game. If he stayed at home he was accused of making plots 
and intrigues. In one word, whatever he did or said was 
considered a crime. We were held up to scorn and derision. 
To escape from all this we determined to go to Berlin. I 
therefore begged the King to wiite to the Margrave on the 
subject. He did so most urgently, and my father-in-law at 
once granted us permission. This alone, however, was not of 
much use, for we had no money, and no one would lend us 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 241 

any. Berlin was forty-two Grerman miles* from Bairenth. 
My state of health compelled us to travel by short stages, so 
that it would certainly take us ten days to reach Berlin. I 
spoke to the Margrave on the subject, and he said he would 
procure the money necessary for the journey, and told me 
not to trouble about it. Next day he sent me word that he 
had had one thousand florins put to my account. This sum 
would have covered only half the expense of the journey. I 
collected the other half from my ladies' purses and my 
poor servants'. 

Many people blamed my father-in-law for allowing me to 
undertake this journey in my present condition. It was now 
the end of June, and I expected my confinement in August. 
The people of Bau-euth were loud in their complaints, for 
they wished much for an heir to the Principality. The 
Margrave was at Himmelscron, his favourite residence, and 
as it was on the road to Berhn we were to take leave of him 
there. He attached the greatest importance to what the world 
said of him, and as he wished to justify himself in the eyes 
of the public for letting me undertake this journey he sent 
M. von Dobeneck to see me, and try and persuade me to 
remain at Baireuth. He did not, however, succeed in his 
mission. I thanked him most civilly for the kind messages 
he brought me from the Margrave, but remained firm in my 
intentions to go to Berlin. I excused myself for doing so 
by explaining to him how great my longing was to see my 
family again, and by mentioning that the King looked on 
my visit as a settled thing. We started next morning, and 
arrived at Himmelscron that same evening. The Margrave 
received us most kindly and with every mark of affection. 
A Hessian gentleman, M. von Babenhausen, happened to be 
at Himmelscron the day we were there. He was an honest, 
clever man, who at once knew with what people he had to 

* Eighty-eight English miles. 



242 MEMOIRS OF THE 



deal. He had never seen me before, but thought me looking 
so ill that he endeavoured to induce the Margrave to prevent 
my continuing my journey. My father-in-law's physician 
also urged the necessity of my remaining, saying that if I 
went to Berlin my coffin would have to be prepared for me. 
Representations were made to the Hereditary Prince on the 
subject, and indeed circumstances all combined to put an 
end to my project. I was, fortunately as it turned out, 
obliged to give up the journey and return to Baireuth. 

I was indeed in a deplorable condition, and tormented by 
bodily sufferings. The doctors were very stupid and refused 
to bleed me. 

Himmelscron had formerly been a convent. After it had 
become Protestant the Abbess gave her nuns their freedom, 
and on her death Himmelscron fell to Culmbach. It is very 
prettily situated, and a new wing has been added to the old 
building. The house itself was very comfortable, but there 
were no walks round about it. There is only a mall, which is 
nearly as fine as that at Utrecht. The Margrave had made 
a heronry, and the birds could be seen from the castle. 
Life at Himmelscron was dull in the extreme. There was 
nobody to converse with, and the whole day long one was 
disturbed by the perpetual blowing of horns. This dreadful 
noise distui'bed the only relaxation I enjoyed, namely being 
read aloud to. Mademoiselle von Marwitz, Mademoiselle von 
Sonnsfeld's niece, was my reader. 

This young lady's education had been provided for by 
Countess Pinkenstein. She had fallen into bad hands, was 
wanting in manner as well as in grace, and was besides 
extremely frivolous. She had become much attached to me, 
and endeavoured to please me in every way she could. I 
was much touched at this, and determined to try and educate 
her, or rather to supply these wants in her education. I 
succeeded far beyond my expectations, and in the course of 
these memoirs shall often have occasion to speak of Made- 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 243 

moiselle von Marwitz. We remained for weeks at this tiresome 
place, Himmelscron, till it seemed to me as if we had been there 
for centuries. At last a large shooting party which assembled 
at Selb, a small town on the borders of Bohemia, brought us 
some change. The Margrave and his son went to Selb, and 
I returned to the " Hermitage." I arrived there so ill that 
my premature confinement was hourly expected. My good 
constitution, however, and the loving care and attention I 
received prevented it, and I felt better next day. 

In the evening a message reached me from the King, my 
father, saying that he hoped to arrive at the " Hermitage " 
in two days. This joyful intelligence did much towards 
restoring my faihng strength. My father came from Prague. 
He had had a meeting with the Emperor at a small village 
called Altdorf , not far from that city. A large room had been 
built for the purpose, with two separate entrances. It had 
been intended that the Emperor and Empress and the King 
should arrive simultaneously, and that the two Sovereigns 
should enter the room by their respective doors. However, 
in spite of all that had been arranged, my father arrived two 
hours before the appointed time, and on the Emperor's 
arrival came forward in the most friendly manner to greet 
him. This was quite contrary to the prescribed etiquette, and 
Grrumkow has often since told me how annoyed he was that 
my father should have acted in a manner derogatory to his 
dignity. As soon as I heard of my father's intention of 
coming to the " Hermitage," I let the Margrave know of it. 
He sent me back word to have everything prepared for the 
King's reception, and that he himself would meet him at 
Selb, which was on the King's road, and accompany him to 
the " Hermitage." This was quite a small castle. It had 
one large room with two smaller ones attached to it in the 
main building, and the two wings each contained four small 
rooms or rather cells. When the Margrave and ourselves 
lived there it was already a tight squeeze. About a hundred 

R 2 



244 MEMOIRS OF THE 



yards from it was the dairy farm, where a small but comfort- 
able house had been built. I had this arranged for the 
Margrave, and prepared some rooms in the castle for the 
King. Margrave Albert, brother of the King, and the Prince 
of Gotha, who were to accompany him, I intended to lodge 
in the same house with my father-in-law. I thought and 
hoped I had arranged all to everybody's satisfaction, when a 
circumstance arose which caused me great annoyance. 

The evening before the Elng's arrival M. von Bindemann, 
the only gentleman left in attendance on myself, received 
a messenger announcing the arrival that evening of the 
Margrave of Anspach and his wife accompanied by a suite 
of a hundred persons. Bindemann was an excellent man, 
but certainly had not invented gunpowder. When he was, 
therefore, confronted mth the difficulty of how to lodge these 
new and unexpected guests he completely lost his head. He 
informed Baron von Seckendorf, Chamberlain to the Mar- 
grave of Anspach, that although his master was delighted at 
the visit and would receive it with pleasure, it would, at this 
moment, be most inconvenient. There was already difficulty 
enough in finding suitable accommodation for the King, so 
that it was impossible to find room for the Margrave and 
Margravine and their suite. Bindemann told me only next 
day of my sister's visit. I instantly sent my father-in-law 
word of it and begged for instructions as to where the party 
were to be lodged. I represented to him how much ofi'ended 
both my sister and the Margrave would be if they had not apart- 
ments at the Hermitage. As there were, however, no more 
unoccupied rooms in the castle, I proposed they should go to 
Monplaisir, the house at the farm. I said I would give up 
my o^TL rooms to my father-in-law and live with my husband 
in his apartments. I felt sure he would not agree to this 
plan, and I could not have carried it out, as I was too ill to 
leave my bed. My father-in-law answered me in a few hom^s, 
sajdng he would not hear of my turning out of my rooms, 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 245 

and tliat I was to have one of tlie small cells in one of the 
wings prepared for him. 

When the evening came, I left my bed with the utmost 
exertion, and went, weak as I was, into the avenue to meet 
my sister. It was already past eight o'clock, and no one 
arrived. I sent off numerous messengers on horseback to find 
out what caused the delay, as I feared some accident had 
happened. I waited in vain till past ten, when M. von 
Bindemann observing my anxiety, smilingly said to me that 
I could be quite easy, as my sister would not come. I was 
greatly surprised at this remark, and asked him how he knew 
this. Upon which he answered, " Because I let Chamberlain 
von Seckendorf know so and so. I expect they will have 
turned back.'' He said this referring to the message he had 
sent, which I mentioned before. Although I had not looked 
forward to the visit of my Anspach relations with any 
particular pleasure, as I knew my brother-in-law would have 
disputes with the King, still Bindemann's stupidity vexed me 
much. I foresaw the results, and was not mistaken in them. 
Soon after. Baron von Seckendorf arrived. He was a bad 
man, and the cause of all my sister's unhappiness. He it was 
that had sown disunion between her and her husband. He 
brought me very angry messages, and said that he had never 
known anybody treat a member of the Royal family in such 
a manner. He told me that my sister was furious with me, 
and that this occurrence would make a lasting breach between 
the two families. My sister had declared that she would 
never set her foot in Baireuth. Baron von Seckendorf then 
added that he was on his way to the King to inform him of 
the insult the Margrave and Margravine had received. It had 
been by the King's desire that they were coming to the 
Hermitage, and that he was sure my father would greatly 
blame my behaviour. 

I explained Bindemann's conduct to him, and sent him to 
Monplaisir that he might see for himself with what trouble 



246 iVIEMOIRS OF THE 



I had arranged everytliiiig for my sister's reception. I also 
sent the postmaster Tvord not to let Seckendorf have any 
horses under any pretext whatever. I did this purposely in 
order that, should it be true that he was sent with a message 
to the King, he might he unable to leave the Hermitage. 
I at once informed my father-in-law of this most annoying 
occurrence, and sent for M. von Gleichen, who lived only a 
few miles off. I entrusted him with letters to the Margrave 
and my sister, and sent hi'-m straight off to Anspach. My 
letters contained many apologies that such a sad misunder- 
standing should have taken place, and I at the same time 
sent them a pressing invitation to come to the Hermitage. I 
further entreated M. von Grleichen to be sure and see that the 
whole matter was cleared up. I spent a cruel night. My 
father was the only support I had on earth, and I saw the 
moment arrive when he might again treat me unkindly, which 
would be far more painful to me were it to happen at Baireuth 
than at Berlin. His anger was only too easily roused, and I 
knew the Margrave of Anspach would do all he could to pro- 
voke it. M. von Grleichen returned in two hours, bringing me 
most kind answers to my letters, but a decided refusal to my 
invitation. He assured me that he had been able entirely to 
exonerate me in the eyes of my sister and brother-in-law, 
but that they would not believe that M. von Bindemann had 
not acted by my father-in-law's orders. 

The King arrived on the 6th August. He received me 
most graciously, but seemed much moved by the painful 
alteration in my appearance. He would not let me accom- 
pany him to his room, but insisted on taking me to mine. I 
kissed his dear hands over and over again, and never wearied 
of showing hi'-m my great joy at seeing him again. As soon 
as I was alone T\ith him, I told him in the most natm-al way 
possible all about the unfortunate misunderstanding with my 
Anspach relations, and begged him to set matters right with 
them. I also showed him the letters M. von Gleiehen had 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 247 

brouglit me. My father said, "It is very annoying that 
Binclemann should have been so stupid, but still more so that 
3^ou should have to do with people who have no common 
sense. The Margrave of Anspach fancies himself a second 
Louis XV., and he thinks you should have come and 
made your excuses in person to him. He is a fool: I am 
very glad you took the initiative. I shall let them know 
they are to come here, and if they will not, then the devil 
take them ! " My father then left me, and desired Baron 
von Seckendorf to send off a messenger at once to Anspach, 
to tell his children to come and see him. Grumkow and the 
Austrian minister, Seckendorf, were in the King's suite. I 
received them very graciously. They brought me many 
flattering messages from the Empress, who had spoken of me 
in most laudatory terms. The King, who had been listening 
to the conversation, now came up to where we were standing 
and said, "You have every reason to be grateful to the 
Empress, my dear daughter : you should write and express 
your gratitude to her." I answered him that I should 
gladly follow his advice. We then went to dinner. I sat on 
my father's right side and the Margrave of Baireuth on his 
left. The King was in excellent spirits, but on my leaving 
the room, as I was feeling ill, he got terribly anxious, fearing 
I was going to die. 

Next morning I got up very early and showed my father 
all the walks round the Hermitage, which he thought very 
pretty, especially a httle grotto which I had arranged as a 
" Tabagie." The King was much pleased, and said, " You 
have given yourself endless trouble, and have shown me every 
possible attention. I might fancy myself at Potsdam, the 
rooms are so like mine there, and you have placed the same 
tables and chairs in them as I always use." I had really 
taken great pains, and yet gone to no great expense, as my 
father always only used wooden chairs. These had to be so 
high that his feet should scarcely touch the ground. I had 



248 MEMOIRS OF THE 



also placed two large tubs with water in mj father's room, 
which he used, for washing. I do not think: there ever 
existed a person who was so particular about cleanliness. 
He washed himself at least twenty times a-clay, while his 
rooms had always to be kept perfectly tidy, with no speck 
of dust allowed to be seen anywhere. The long walk I 
had taken with the King had greatly exhausted me, and I 
became so faint that all thought I was dying. Just at this 
time the celebrated doctor, Stahl, my father's own medical 
attendant, arrived at Baireuth. The Uueen had sent him, 
as well as a midwife, to attend me in my confinement. Stahl 
was chiefly celebrated for his great knowledge of chemistry, 
in which science he had made great discoveries. His system 
of medicine was a very simple one. He maintained that all 
illnesses were caused by powers of imagination, and for this 
reason he never used but two remedies, which he always gave 
in every illness. In spite of this pecuharity, my parents had 
great faith in him. The King at once sent for him to see me. 
My father sat down near my bed, and made Mademoiselle 
von Sonnsfeld do the same. He asked me how I got on 
with my father-in-law. I told him about everything, but 
begged him to treat the Margrave kindly, as otherwise my 
position would only become worse. The King pitied me 
very much and said, " I quite see you cannot possibly come 
to Berlin at this moment, but you must do so as soon as 
yom' confinement is over. Your Margrave can meanwhile 
go to his regiment, and when you are quite strong and well 
again you can follow him. I will undertake to provide for 
you and your people. I will also try and arrange matters in 
such a way that I may be able to give you more to live on. 
You must bring your child with you when you come, and I 
will have everything prepared for you. I cannot any longer 
tolerate the manner in which you are treated here. Your 
father-in-law and my son-in-law of Ansjjach are two mad- 
men, who ought to be shut up. I will be civil to the old 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 249 

man, but your sister and Iter husband sliall be dealt with as 
they deserve." I entreated my father to spare my sister and 
the Margrave of Anspach. The former was abeady un- 
happy enough, and gentleness alone would improve matters. 
I feared my father's anger would only make the breach 
greater between us, and that she might accuse me of having 
made him angry with her. My father promised to do as I 
had begged him, and soon after this conversation my sister 
and the Margrave arrived. The King received them coldly. 
I had got up to attend the dinner, after which all retired to 
their rooms. 

Next day my father spent the whole morning in scolding 
my sister. In the evening he went to the " Tabagie." The 
King's behaviour towards the Anspach Court had not im- 
proved its temper, and my father now began to cross-question 
the Margrave of Baireuth as to the condition of his country. 
The Margave found it very difficult to answer him as he knew 
but little about it, his acquaintance with business matters 
being very slight. The King reproached him with the state 
of disorder in which his affairs were, and told him that he 
allowed himself to be cheated. He also demanded an ex- 
planation from him respecting a capital of 30,000 thalers* 
which he had lent him to pay his debts with. The Margrave 
had not up to this time repaid the loan, and the King repre- 
sented to him how his credit would suffer in consequence. 
" I excuse you," the King proceeded to say, " because you 
have only lately succeeded to the Grovernment, and have been 
obhged to employ those whom you found entrusted with 
the management of the different departments. The time has 
however come when you ought to see things with your own 
eyes, and not trust to those of others. Your efforts will all 
be useless if you do not make your son acquainted with the 
state of affairs. You should let him take part in your 

* £4,500. 



250 ZMEMOIES OF THE 



deliterations, and let him work in the GrOYemnient, so that 
he may become thoroughly acquainted with the condition of 
the Principality. Yonr son should then report to you daily, 
and there will he that advantage gained by it that yom^ 
ministers will work twice as hard when they have their Prince 
as a colleague. You will then too no longer be cheated, as 
has been the case till now." 

This speech did not at all please the Margrave. The King 
then said that he had given him this advice only on account 
of the love he bore them, and the respect he had for the 
Margrave himself. " TTould you like me, my dear Margrave," 
my father continued, " to send you someone to help you out 
of your difficulties ? Unless you take a stranger, who will 
look thoroughly into the affairs, and bring to light all the 
villainies that have been going on, you will never get things 
into order." Although the Margrave had been much 
offended by the King's remarks about the Hereditary Piince. 
he appeared to accept his offer gratefully, and hid his annoy- 
ance as best he could. My father then induced the Margrave 
to promise him sole mnl y that my husband and I should come 
to Berlin soon after the birth of my child. He said, " As they 
will be living there at my cost, your own expenses will be 
greatly reduced." The Margrave at once agreed to the 
proposal, and outwardly at leas'^verything was on a har- 
monious footing. I took a tearful leave of my dear father that 
evening, who left next morning the 9th August. My 
Anspach relations remained with us that day. My brother- 
in-law the Margrave had fallen in love with Mademoiselle 
von Grumkow, and made no secret of it.* This young lady 
was extremely flattered by the conquest she had made, and 
encouraged his attentions. She was tall and thin, very pale 
T\ith a long face, and a nose like an eagle. She had beautiful 
teeth, and a fine figm-e. She was very amusing, most enter- 
taining, but her tongue was sharp as a knife, and she spared no 
one. She was very x^roud and insolent, and her conduct was 



MARGRAYIXE OF BAIREUTH. 251 

extremely flighty. She made mischief wherever she could. 
With all these faults she combined an art of ingratiating her- 
self with people, and she made many friends. My sister w^as 
terribly jealous of her husband's friendship for this girl, and 
was constantly in tears about it. I pitied her very much, 
yet as the gud was Grrumkow's niece and I required her 
uncle's help, I had to be very careful how I behaved towards 
her. Soon after this my sister and her husband returned 
to Anspach, and I escaped from the difficulty. 

No sooner had the King left us than my father-in-law 
vented his anger on my husband and myself. He began by 
reproaching me for having turned him out of Monplaisir to 
make room for my sister. He let me know through M. von 
Yoit that he was not yet dead, and hoped to Kve some time 
longer if only to spite us, and that he was surprised at my 
giving myself the airs of a regent. It was all my doing, the 
Margrave said, that the King had spoken to him as he had. 
He would excuse me however, as he was aware I had 
acted by Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld's advice, who he knew 
hated him. My father-in-law said he was tired of her 
constant intrigues and would therefore send her to the small 
fortress of Plassenburg, where she would have leisure to reflect 
on her want of respect towards him. I wondered at the 
patience with which I listened to this message. When Yoit 
had ceased speaking, I broke out into all manner of abuse 
against the Margrave. I was so angry that I trembled all 
over. When I cooled down a little Yoit advised me to 
write to my father-in-law or to ask the Priuce of Culmbach 
(the Margrave's 'brother) to make peace between us. 
Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld meanwhile laughed at the 
Margrave's threats against her. I followed Yoit's advice 
and asked the Prince of Culmbach's help. This Prince 
blamed his brother's conduct towards me and Mademoiselle 
von Sonnsfeld, and assured me that he had already spoken to 
the Margrave very severely about it. To prove my entu-e 



252 MEMOIRS OF THE 



irLnocence, I showed the Prince of Culmbach the letters in 
which the Margrave distinctly commanded me to make all the 
necessary arrangements for our guests. He took these letters 
with him and showed them to my father-in-law, proving to 
him how extremely unjust he had been towards me. The 
Margrave upon this made me many excuses and pretended to 
regret his behaviour. This was all mere pretence on his 
part, and he was now bent on finding some other way of 
annoying me. 

As my confinement was near at hand, it was thought 
desirable that I should return to Baireuth. I did so on the 
20th August. I had at last succeeded in getting my bedroom 
newly furnished, and also one of my boudoirs, which I had 
decorated with china and carved wood-work. My rooms con- 
sequently looked much more cheerful and comfortable. The 
Margrave, who had returned to Baireuth at the same time as 
I had, came with his brother to see me next morning, and 
inf onned me that he was starting for Himmelscron, and should 
not return till after my confinement. I was unable to con- 
ceal my dissatisfaction at his leaving Bau-euth, but I said I 
should be glad to know what his orders were before he left. 
" I shall be obliged to inform the King my father of the birth 
of my child, but he \nR not like only to receive the news through 
an ordinary messenger. I venture therefore to suggest to 
your Highness that M. von Yoit should go to Berlin as soon 
as the event has taken place. He would pass Himmelscron 
on his way to Berlin and could then at the same time bring you 
the tidings." My father-in-law got very red in the face, and for 
a few moments made no reply. He then said, '* As regards 
sending the news to Berlin I think your suggestion quite right 
and proper. It is however quite unnecessary to inform me of 
the event." I answered my father-in-law that if he did not 
wish to receive M. von Yoit, we would send some other gentle- 
man who was more agreeable to him. " I will have no one sent 
me," the Margrave replied, " I have ordered cannons to be 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 253 

posted the whole way to Himmelscron, which will inform me 
much sooner than any messenger could." I answered that 
this would most likely be the case, but that I did not wish to 
fail in showing him every mark of respect, and therefore 
hoped he would let me do as I suggested. My father-in-law 
however insisted that he did not wish to stand on any cere- 
mony with me. He hated formalities, he said, like death. 
He would let von Yoit know he was to hold himself in 
readiness to start for Berlin whenever it was required. The 
Margrave then wished me good-bye, expressing his hope that 
I should get well over my confinement, with which remark he 
left me. 

Fortunately the Prince of Culmbach had been present 
during this interview. I asked him why the Margrave 
behaved so strangely. He assm-ed me it was merely a fit 
of bad temper : I must be patient with him and let him have 
his own way. I promised the Prince I would follow his 
advice, and then took leave of him. 

I was taken ill on the 29th and continued in labour till 
the evening of the 31st August, when I was safely delivered 
of a daughter. My life had been in the utmost danger, and 
my attendants had despaired of saving me or my child. My 
poor husband had been in a terrible state of mind, as I was 
afterwards told. Nothing ever equalled his joy when he 
knew I was safe. He never asked after the child, all his 
thoughts were for me. He kissed my hands covering them 
with tears. Although the Margrave had been informed of 
my great peril, he had not thought fit to inquire after me. 
His brother on the other hand had sent hourly to hear how 
I was, proving to me how much he cared for me. M. von 
Yoit left for Berhn immediately after the birth of the child, 
and all the cannon were fii-ed. The clergy came to pray at 
my bedside, but I heard little of their prayers, as I was still 
so weak. Next day after some sleep my condition had much 
improved. 



254 MEMOIRS OF THE 



I was greatly suprised at receiving no inquiries from the 
Margrave. At last the Hereditary Prince had a note from 
his uncle congratulating him on my safety, and at the same 
time telling him he had informed the Margrave of the 
birth of his grandchild. The cannon had been so badly 
placed he said that the sound had not reached Himmelscron. 
The Prince of Culmbach said he would try and induce the 
Margrave to come to Baireuth that evening : he was in such a 
dreadful temper, that he had not dared speak to him about 
anything. My father-in-law however really came to Bau-euth 
at six that evening. He sent at once for M. von Peitzenstein, 
and complained to him bitterly that his son and I had 
treated him disgracefully, and that he had been the last to 
be informed of my child's birth. He said his patience was 
exhausted, that he was master and could have his son shut 
up in a fortress any day he pleased, to teach him how to 
behave towards him. Poor M. von Peitzenstein, who knew 
of nothing, stood there struck with dismay. This dismay 
was only increased when the Margrave told him to go and 
tell all this in his name to the Hereditary Prince. Peitzen- 
stein refused to deliver these messages. He waited a few 
moments till the Margrave had grown calmer, and' then 
represented to him what harm he did his own reputation 
by treating me so badly. It was doubly wrong at the 
present moment, for I was not out of danger and any 
agitation might kill me. 

"With respect to Prince Henry, Peitzenstein said he 
knew that he would never be wanting in respect towards 
the Margrave. He advised my father-in-law to enquire 
how the mistake had arisen, because he felt sure it must 
be some misunderstanding. At this moment the Prince of 
of Culmbach entered the room and took my part most 
warmly. He reminded the Margrave of the conversation he 
had had with me in his presence on that very subject. My 
father-in-law was much taken aback at this, as he had not 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 255 

been aware that the Prince had been in the room at the time. 
He was very much ashamed at his memory having failed him 
on this occasion, but he was losing it more and more daily. The 
Margrave at once sent for his son whom he received courteously, 
and then came to see me. He treated me very coldly, and it 
was quite apparent that his civil speeches were by no means 
sincere. He told me it was the custom to have the child 
christened on the third day after its birth, and that therefore 
the ceremony must take place next morning. I answered my 
father-in-law that he must do as he thought best, but that I 
was too weak to see anyone or to receive congratulations. He 
replied that it was not at all necessary, that I had only to tell 
him whom I wished to have as sponsors. At first I refused to 
name any, but at last I mentioned the following, the Empress, 
my parents, the Queen of Denmark (the Margrave's sister), the 
dowager Princess of Culmbach (the Margrave's mother), my 
brother, my sister of Anspach, and the Prince of Culmbach. 
The Margrave expressed himself very much satisfied with 
these sponsors and then left me. 

Next day trimipets and drums announced that the Mar- 
grave with his whole Court and Princess Charlotte, who had 
just returned from Weikersheim, would proceed to my apart- 
ments. Princess Charlotte carried the child and held it 
during the ceremony. The whole procession went from my 
room to the audience chamber where the christening took 
place. After the ceremony was over, cannons were fired and 
the child was brought back to my room. Then a great 
banquet was held, followed by a ball in the evening. 

A fortnight later Prince Wilham of Culmbach, my hus- 
band's brother, arrived at Baireuth. He had just returned 
from his travels through France and Holland. My husband, 
whose kind heart made him cling to all his relations, was 
delighted to see him again. He brought him at once to my 
room. Prince William was twenty years old, but not taller 
than a boy of fourteen. He had a handsome face, but not an 



256 MEMOIRS OF THE 



agreeable expression, and was fairly well proportioned, but 
was as childisli in his behaviour as in stature. He was not 
clever, having studied at Utrecht, with little advantage to 
himself. He was verj absent and flighty, and had talent for 
nothing else but catching flies. He was certainly good- 
natured, but probably more so by nature than principle. The 
Hereditary Prince and I did all we could to help him on 
during his short stay at Baireuth, but we met with little success. 
He was Colonel in the Imperial army, and his regiment was 
quartered in Italy. He was now on his way there, but was 
to stay a short time with his uncle at Vienna. I shall 
always mention him in the course of these memoirs as Prince 
"William. 

M. von Yoit returned at this time from Berlin, bringing 
me very affectionate letters from my parents. Yoit told me 
the birth of my child and my safety had caused universal 
joy at Berlin. The King and Crown Prince had spoken in 
the tenderest manner of me. 

I was just beginning to enjoy a little peace and quiet 
when the Hereditary Prince received a letter from the King 
which threw us into great agitation. My father reminded 
Prince Henry of our promise to come to Berlin, and ordered 
him to rejoin his regiment at once. He said we could rely 
on his friendship and the proofs he would give us of it. 
This was a terrible blow for me. I loved my husband 
passionately, and our marriage was really a happy one. He 
was my only comfort on earth, and now I was to be 
separated from him, only three weeks after our child's 
birth, and probably for a long time. There was nothing 
to be done unless we wished to quarrel "^dth the King. 
We could not aif ord to do that, for we needed his help and 
protection. The only thing we could do was to postpone the 
evil day as long as we could. The Margrave pretended to 
grieve much at our approaching depai-ture, but he was 
secretly enchanted at it, as he longed to get rid of us. 



MARGRAVIXE OF BAIREUTH. 257 

My husband started on the 2nd October, paying all the 
expenses of his joui-ney himself. The grief at parting from 
him made me very ill, and my health never entirely re- 
covered from the shock. I grew dreadfully thin, and cried 
all night. Every evening I held receptions in my rooms, 
at which all the family appeared. Cards were played, 
otherwise these parties were fearfully dull. I had no one to 
speak to but the Prince of Culmbach, who was my only 
companion. By degrees I grew calmer, till another letter 
from the King upset me afresh. He said he wished me to 
go to my sister at Anspach. He knew she would be offended 
if I did not do so, as I owed her a visit. It was very neces- 
sary to keep on good terms, and as I was the more reason- 
able of the two, I must do all in my power to keep up a good 
understanding between the two families. After my return 
to Baireuth I was to come to Berlin, where I should be 
received with open arms. This was all very right and good, 
but I had no money, and the Hereditary Prince's journey 
to Berlin had exhausted all the means at our command. 
Then, too, I did not know what to do with my daughter. 
I did not like leaving her behind alone. At last I thought 
it best to send the King's letter to the Margrave. He sent 
me word through M. von Yoit that he entirely agreed with 
its contents, and that I was free to do w^hatever I thought 
best. I thereupon spoke to my father-in-law myself, and 
begged him for some money to help me with my journey. 
I said how much I disliked having to make this request, but 
that necessity forced me to do so. I had not even the means 
to procure absolute necessaries. I represented to him that I 
could not leave my daughter alone with her nurses. It was 
equally impossible for me to take her to Berlin as the weather 
was already too cold. I was therefore anxious to find a lady 
in whose charge I could leave her, and who would afterwards 
be able to direct her education. The Margrave replied that 
he would take it all into consideration, and would let me have 



258 :memoies of the 



an answer through M. von Yoit next day. The answer was 
in every way worthy of the ^XlargraYe. He desired me to he 
told that there was no mention in my marriage treaty of the 
daughters I might bring into the world nor of the journeys 
which I might undertake. The outlay caused by his youngest 
son's journey and his joining the army, had caused great 
disorder in his finances. He was therefore unable to help 
me. It seemed to hi'-m that the King was bound to pay for 
my journey as he had invited me to come to Berlin. I was 
in despair. I wrote at once to Berlin, and as I had to wait 
for the answer I was obliged to postpone my journey, much 
as I longed to see my husband again. As I did not for a 
moment doubt that the King would send me some money. 
I took 2.000 thalers (£300), which I had invested, for my 
present use. It was alL I possessed in the world. It had 
been given me by my brother ; for since his engagement 
to the Princess of Bnmswick he had been receiving large 
sums of money from Austria. 

On the 12th October I was churched. A Te Deum was 
sung in the chapel of the castle, the cannons were fired, and in 
the evening there was a ball. I had no heart for anything, for 
I was oppressed with grief and trouble. Still I did have one 
happy moment that evening, and that was on receiving a 
letter from the Hereditary Prince, telling me of his safe 
arrival at Berhn, where he had been very well received by the 
King and Queen. He wrote how much and how impatiently 
he longed to see me again, and that he was about to join his 
regiment, but should wait till my arrival at BerHn before he 
did so. Every one assured him, my brother as well as the 
rest, that the King would receive us with every mark of 
special affection. My father had told my husband I must 
obey his wishes and go to Anspach. My husband ho2:>ed I 
would go there without delay in order that we might meet 
the sooner. He had no need to urge this reason on me, for I 
was only too desirous of seeing him again. I required time 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 259 

liowever to settle things at Baireuth. I had several good 
days just at this time — I call them good days, because I was 
sj)ared the pleasure of having to see the Margrave. He was 
indisposed and the doctors had bled him. 

Another tii'esome personage made up for the Margrave's 
absence, my father-in-law's other brother, whom I will call 
the Prince of Neustadt, as he always Hved there. He was 
Colonel of a Danish regiment, and had come from Copenhagen 
to get married, as we found out afterwards. He let the 
Margrave know that he was coming to Baireuth for a few 
days. This Prince was the least desirable member of the 
family. The Margrave could not bear him, and when I have 
given his description, nobody can blame my father-in-law. 
The Margrave took but little notice of his proposed visit, and 
as I was to leave in a few days, begged his brother to post- 
pone his visit till after my return. Unfortunately the Prince 
of Neustadt never got the Margrave's message till just as he 
was nearing Baireuth. The weather and the roads would 
have excused him for not turning back again, but he was so 
much offended vdth the Margrave's note that he continued 
his journey to Baireuth purposely to spite his brother. 
Instead of coming to the castle he lodged at the Town Hall 
and never went near any member of the family. The 
Margrave incited him several times to the castle, where 
rooms were prepared for him. The Prince of Neustadt 
answered that after the insult offered him by his brother he 
refused to come and see him. The whole day was spent in 
sending messages to and fro between the brothers. At last 
the Margrave decided that the best thing to do would be to 
send his son Prince William to fetch him. 

At last this charming personage made his entry to the 
castle. The Prince of Neustadt was neither tail nor short, 
and was well grown. He had eyes like a pig, an enormous 
mouth, and very short thin Hps which hid neither his gums 
nor his teeth. Besides this he always kept his mouth wide 

s 2 



260 MEMOIRS OF THE 



open, so that one could see half down his throat. He had fair 
hair, and was altogether most repulsive in appearance. He 
was half silly, and could not be trusted out of one's sight. I 
tried to see as little as I could of this terrible being, and left 
him to be entertained by Princess Charlotte and Prince 
"William. 

The Margrave had taken it into his head that he would 
like his whole family assembled round him, for which purpose 
he had invited his eldest daughter the Princess of Taxis to 
come to Baireuth. Princess Wilhelmine was much dissatisfied 
with her stay in East Friesland. She had spoilt her prospects 
by the haughty manner in which she had treated the Prince, 
the Princesses and her aunt. Her marriage instead of being 
settled was on the point of being broken off, and the Princess 
implored to be allowed to return to Baireuth. When the 
Margrave was told of the state of aif airs, he decided that if the 
marriage were entirely broken off Princess Wilhelmine should 
go to Denmark before returning home. Pie would then be 
able to say that she had been visiting all her relations. At 
this very moment two offers of marriage were made to Princess 
Charlotte. One by the Prince of Weissenfels, who has so 
often been mentioned as a suitor for my hand, and the other 
by the Prince of TJsingen. Princess Charlotte preferred this 
latter. In spite of all my endeavours to get the marriage 
settled, the Margrave refused both offers. He did not wish 
to marry his younger daughter before the elder. I had no 
voice in the matter, for the Margrave hated me, and let me 
feel it on every possible occasion, and tormented me when he 
could. He grumbled all day long at the Hereditary Prince and 
made a great favourite of Prince William, which made me 
furious. 

I started at last on the 21st for Anspach. The direct road 
lay through Erlangen, where the widow of my father-in-law's 
predecessor. Margrave Greorge William, lived. I was cuiious 
to see this place as I had been told much about it, and it had 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 261 

originally been mentioned as our place of abode. M. von 
risclier, who lived there, had disapproved of the plan, and it 
was therefore decided that the Prince and I shonld live at 
Bairenth itself. The first evening, after travelling over a very 
bad road, I reached a small village called Baiersdorf. I was 
there received by M. von Fischer, M. von Egloffstein, a 
member of the nobility of those parts, and Lieutenant- Greneral 
M. von Bassewitz, who commanded in Franconia. All these 
gentlemen welcomed me most kindly. M. von Fischer 
whispered to me that the Margrave had desired I should be 
received with the same marks of honour as were shown to 
himself. Fischer was also desired to inform the Margravine 
of my arrival and to take care that I had precedence given 
me by her and was treated as my rank demanded. M. von 
Fischer said he had not been able to induce the Margra- 
vine to agree to this, for she insisted on treating me only 
as Hereditary Princess and not as a king's daughter. 

Fischer had therefore directed that my dinner should be 
served in my rooms at the castle, and advised me not to see 
the Margravine at all. He hoped by that means to humiliate 
her. I answered that I was quite satisfied to follow his 
advice, and that I had no wish to make her acquaintance. I 
had scarcely made this remark when the Margravine's Lord 
Chamberlain was announced, who was desired to welcome me in 
his mistress' name. I received him at once. He made a long 
speech of half an hour's length during which he stuttered 
and hesitated, and at last ended up by saying that the 
Margravine was on the point of getting into her carriage to 
come and herself invite me to Erlangen. She hoped I would 
have supper there with her that evening. I declined the visit 
and supper as civilly as I could, excusing myself on the score 
of fatigue, and a wish to dine at Erlangen next day. M. von 
Fischer now came forward and said, " Her Eoyal Highness 
will go to Erlangen, if the Margravine will receive her with 
the respect due to her exalted rank, otherwise it will be 



262 MEMOIRS OF THE 



impossible for lier to dine at the same table, and dinner must 
be served in ber own rooms." The Lord Chamberlain replied 
that his Princess would never forget what was owing to the 
daughter of so great a sovereign as the Xing, and would have 
dinner served in her own rooms. I at once sent one of my 
gentlemen to return the visit, and then went to supper. M. 
von Fischer held forth the whole time, praising Prince William 
to the skies. He never even mentioned my husband, which 
annoyed me to such an extent that I left the supper-table 
before I had half finished eating. 

I left next morning at ten o'clock, and was escorted by two 
companies of Baiersdorfen and Erlangen Cavahy. All the 
gentlemen that had received me the previous evening followed 
in carriages, and many of the younger members of the 
nobility came to meet me on horseback. The townsfolk of 
Erlangen lined the streets. I thought Erlangen very pretty. 
It is charmingly situated, and "the houses built in the newest 
style. The castle was built to correspond with the buildings 
of the town, and I should rather call it a country house. On 
one side is a large open " place " or square, and on the other 
a beautiful garden of very great extent. The sandy soil 
spoils much of its charm. This part of the Margravate is 
called the Lowlands as it has no mountains. The Margrave 
Christian Ernest built the town and established a Erench 
colony in it, to which it owes much of its refinement. The 
difference between Baireuth and Erlangen is very apparent, 
and though only at eight miles' distance from one another 
you might fancy yourself in quite another country. The 
town was very crowded, and everybody was anxious to see 
me. The people pushed so close up to my carriage that I 
was in terror lest some one should be hurt. 

At last I reached the castle. The Margravine and her 
whole Court received me at the foot of the stairs. After the 
usual compliments had been paid, M. von Voit gave me his 
hand and led me to my rooms. The Margravine followed 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 263 



me. She was the sister of Prince John Adolphus of Weissen- 
fels, who has so often been named in this narrative. She is 
said to have been very beautiful in her youth. Her married 
life mth the Margrave deorge William had been a most 
unhappy one. The Margravine might certainly have been 
mentioned among the celebrated women of ancient history, 
for in her life she was without doubt the Lais of the century. 
She was never very clever, and was thirty-eight years old 
when I saw her, very stout but well proportioned. Her 
face was long, as was her nose, which was so red as to dis- 
figm^e her. She had beautifully-shaped eyes but they were 
rather dim, and false black eyebrows, a large well-shaped 
mouth, and splendid white teeth. Her complexion was very 
fan- but faded. Altogether she looked like a stage queen, 
and behaved herself like one. Yet on the whole her appear- 
ance was very striking. 

"We sat down on armchairs. I had the greatest difficulty 
in preventing the Margravine from sitting on a " tabouret," 
as she insisted on doing. Our conversation was most 
dull and uninteresting. I answered all her civil speeches in 
the most gracious manner possible. She expressed her 
pleasure in making my acquaintance : she had been very 
frightened beforehand, she said, as she had been told I was 
very proud and haughty, and would treat her without the 
least consideration. The Margravine presented to me her 
Mistress of the Robes, at least to the lady who acted in that 
capacity, and also her Ladies-in-waiting, twin sisters. They 
were both very short and round as balls. As they stooped down 
to kiss the hem of my dress, they lost their balance, and fell 
down rolling across the room. I could not help laughing at 
this extraordinary scene. I never saw such ugly people at 
any Court in my life before. I think the Margra\dne must 
have collected all the monsters in the land, in order to 
enhance her own personal charms. 

At last we went to dinner. I had the place of honom* given 



264 MEMOIRS OF THE 



me at tlie top of the table. The Margravine seemed in a state 
of constant perplexity. M. von Egloffstein, who was her 
lover at that time (I say '' at that time " because she 
constantly changed her admirers), had tanght her never to 
open her month or to touch any dish, without first asking his 
advice. After dinner was over I went to the Margravine's 
room, where we had coffee and where all the ladies from the 
town were presented to me. There were among them some 
very amiable people, but as I was much pressed for time and 
anxious to proceed on my journey, I was unable to make 
their nearer acquaintance. In spite of my endeavom-s to 
prevent her doing so, the Margravine insisted on accompanying 
me to the foot of the stairs. M. von Egloffstein had told her 
to do so, she said, and she always did whatever he wished. 

I arrived at Carlsburg late that evening, and was there met 
by some gentlemen and servants from Anspach. Next day at 
seven in the evening I reached Anspach. 

My sister and her husband received me with every mark of 
affection, aijd I returned their greetings most warmly, for I 
was greatly pleased at their behaviour. Great dinners were 
given in my honour as long as I remained at Anspach. 
I could never persuade them to treat me merely as a relation. 
The castle, which is faulty in its construction, and has very 
inconvenient entrances, is otherwise very comfortable. It is 
a handsome building and quite modem, very prettily deco- 
rated and furnished. The Com-t is a large one, and much in 
the same style as that at Baireuth, Tvith the one exception 
that French is talked at it. In the evening there was a ball 
to which forty-two couples were invited. The ladies were of 
different grades of society, but were decidedly superior to 
those at Baireuth. 

My sister was expecting to be confined, which caused 
universal satisfaction throughout the country. She was on 
very bad terms with her husband, whose constant flirtations 
were a source of unceasing annoyance to her. I endeavom^ed 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 265 

to be as coiu-teous as possible to everybody I met at Anspach, 
and made many friends. Even the Margrave was most 
friendly towards me, and this good understanding between us 
was of great service to my sister in the future. 

My brother-in-law was to go to Pommersberg, to have an 
inter^T.ew with the Bishop of Bamberg. As my road lay in 
the same direction, we left on the 28th, and travelled together 
as far as Baiersdorf, where he left me and I spent the 
night. I there found a letter awaiting me from the King. 
It was in answer to the one I had written to him begging 
him for some money for my journey, and for a lady in whose 
charge I could leave my daughter. The letter, which was 
not in my father's own handwriting, read as follows : — 

" Dear Daughter, 

" I have received your letter. I am much distressed 
that you have such incessant worries, and that the money for 
your journey has been refused you. I have written a very 
strong letter to your old fool of a father-in-law, and told him 
to supply you with the necessary means. Flora von Sonns- 
feld had better remain with little Frederica* and this will 
save the expense of having a governess for her. I am 
impatiently expecting your arrival," &c. 

This letter caused me great dismay, for I saw that I should 
be placed so to speak between two stools. At the same time 
I received another letter from the Hereditary Prince which 
comforted me somewhat. He wrote to me that my brother 
was moving heaven and earth to induce the King to grant me 
some money. Also that the Queen had greatly changed for 
the better in her feelings towards me, and was anxious to 
make my stay at Berlin as pleasant as possible. My mother 
wished me specially to be told this also, that she only spoke of 

* The Margravine's little daughter. 



266 MEMOIRS OF THE 



the liappiness of seeing me again. These fine words did not 
pacify me mnch, and I feared that the King had deceived 
me. 

I arrived next day at Baireuth, but was to leave again in a 
few days to visit my annt, the Duchess of Meiningen, at 
Cohiirg. I have always forgotten to mention that she had 
come to Baireuth purposely to thank me for the attentions I 
had shown her at Berlin. This wicked woman had been the 
cause of all the misfortunes that had overtaken Culmhach, 
for she had really plundered the unfortunate inhabitants. 
During the time she was married to Margrave Christian Ernest 
she had appropriated to herself all the treasures, and after his 
death had taken possession of the Allodial Estates. The castle 
was at that time beautifully furnished and decorated, and 
the Duchess, not satisfied with taking away all the contents, 
caused the woodwork to be broken and destroyed, as she was 
unable to carry that off too. She was very rich, and her 
fortune was at her sole disposal. She had promised to make 
me her heiress, and as I knew her friendly feelings for me, I 
determined to pay her a visit. 

My father-in-law received me very kindly on my return to 
Baireuth, and asked me when I intended starting for Berhn. 
I answered that I had not yet received my answer from the 
King, and that I could not travel without money. I had 
thought it wiser not to mention the letter I received from my 
father at Baiersdorf . He on his part never made mention to 
me of the letter he had had from the King. " I am quite 
aware that all this is causing endless delay," the Margrave 
said, "and in order no longer to postpone your Koyal 
Highness' departure, I had much rather sacrifice ten thou- 
sand florins." He said this in a most ironical tone, and I at 
once perceived how desirous he was of getting rid of me. I 
thanked him and said that as 2,000 thalers would suffice for 
my journey I gratefully accepted that sum. He promised 
to send me the money next day, but he had never meant to 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 267 

keep his word, and I received only one thousand, which would 
scarcely pay for the necessary post-horses. 

I left for Cohurg on the 3rd November. I had only eight 
miles* to go, hut the weather and the roads were so bad, that 
I arrived half dead from fatigue at eleven that night. I found 
my aunt dressed out as was her wont, with flowers and fringes. 
She received me most affectionately, calling me her " beloved 
niece." She had prepared her own rooms for my use. They 
were most richly decorated mth silver. It made me very sad 
to see all these things, for they had the Brunswick arms on 
them, and I considered them stolen goods, as the Duchess had 
carried them off from their rightful owner. The castle was 
an old building resembling a fortress, and the tower was very 
ugly. My stay at Coburg lasted only one day, which I spent 
in working and talking to the Duchess. I never perceived the 
slightest signs of her intending to keep all her fine promises, 
indeed I was informed that she had never had the least inten- 
tion of making me her heu'ess. I left Coburg on the 5th, 
shaking the dust off my feet as I did so. 

I found the Margrave ill on my return to Baireuth. The 
disorderly life he led and his habits of intemperance had 
seriously affected his health. It was with the greatest trouble 
that I persuaded Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld to remain with 
my daughter. The Margrave was now apparently very fond 
of her and treated her very kindly, so that at length she con- 
sented to take charge of the child. I was much surprised to 
observe that all the letters I now received from Berlin 
contradicted one another. My brother's letters were full of 
the brightest anticipations, whilst those from the Queen and 
Grumkow contained hints of a very disagreeable nature. I 
was greatly agitated at this. I had stiU hoped to see my 
sister-in-law the Princess of Taxis, who now however sent 
her father her excuses for not coming to Baireuth. She was 

* Sixteen Encrlish miles. 



268 MEMOIRS OF THE 



ill, she said, and must postpone her visit. As there was no 
reason to delay my jonrney further, I started for Berlin on 
the 12th. I did not take a very tender leave of the Margrave, 
who could not conceal his pleasure at my departure. 

My suite consisted of the Groverness, Mademoiselle von 
Grumkow, Mademoiselle von Marwitz (whom I had taken 
as Lady-in-waiting), and M. von Seckendorf. Binde- 
mann had left me, and the Margrave would not allow 
M. von Yoit to accompany me. I intended making the 
journey in five days in order to arrive hefore the King left 
for Hamburg on the 17th. The weather was dreadful, and 
the roads were so bad that, in spite of all the haste I used, I 
got only as far as Hof which I reached at eleven at night. 
It was but six miles* from Baireuth. My luggage had 
not arrived, so that I had to lie down on a wretched bed 
without undressing. I scarcely slept all night. My things 
arrived only at two in the morning, and I desired that they 
might be sent on, in the hopes of my finding them ready for 
me next night. The next day's journey was a very long one. 
I left at three in the morning reaching Schleiz at noon. I 
had some refreshment brought to the carriage, for I would not 
alight as I was anxious to arrive early at Grera, which was two 
stations further on. The first stage I accomplished in four 
hours, and when I arrived at the second station found no 
horses although they had been ordered two days before. 
Only one other carriage accompanied me, which contained 
M. von Seckendorf and my maids. The Postmaster was 
much distressed, and begged me for God's sake not to proceed 
further as the roads were almost impassable. 

" You will have to pass through a large wood," he said, 
" where people are daily being robbed and murdered, and 
as the same horses must take you on to Gera, you will not 
reach it till very late. I am obliged to tell you all this as I 



Twelve English miles. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 269 

cannot take tlie responsibility." I was extremely vexed at 
this advice. My Ladies wished us to spend the night 
in this village. But we had no beds, no cooks, and the only 
available house looked like a robber's cave, and was so dirty 
that it made one ill only to look into it. I therefore made up 
my mind at once and determined most heroically to continue 
my Journey. I was really very frightened at heart. 

Alas ! the postmaster's advice was but too well justified. 
The roads were indeed awful, every moment we were in 
danger of being upset, and to make matters worse darkness 
was coming on rapidly. "VYe had torches with us, but these 
unfortunately went out as we entered the wood, and this 
tended to increase the terror we were in. As we proceeded 
on our way, we heard whistling round about us. I trembled 
from fright, and the cold perspKation stood on my forehead. 
My Ladies were in much the same plight. At last at two in 
the night we reached Grera safely, but more dead than alive. 
The terrible agitation I had been in, though remaining out- 
wardly calm, had made me seriously ill. My impatience to 
see the Hereditary Prince, however, restored my faihng 
strength sufficiently to enable me to start again next morn- 
ing, and I finally arrived at Berlin at eight o'clock on the 
evening of the 16th November. 

Whether it was to punish me for my sins or not, I cannot 
tell, but the King had left that very day for Potsdam, and the 
Queen was occupied with her devotions. No one met me, 
although I had sent on a messenger to announce my arrival. 
It was pitch dark when I got out of the carriage, and I was 
so stiff from sitting still for so long a time that I fell full 
length on the ground. M. von Brand, one of the Queen's 
Chamberlains, who happened to be passing at the moment 
helped me up again and giving me his hand, led me to my 
room. Nobody received me except one of my sisters, who met 
me in one of the ante-chambers. Neither did I see my 
brother, and this added much to my discomposm-e. I caught 



270 MEMOIRS OF THE 



sight of the Queen in the distance in her bedroom where she 
was trying to make up her mind whether she would receive 
me in her audience room or not. She at last decided to do so. 
After having embraced me she led me to my husband. My 
joy at seeing him again made me quite forget the cruelty of 
my reception. My mother left me however not a moment to 
speak to him, but led me to her boudoir. When we had 
reached it, she threw herself into an armchair, and looking 
very coldly at me said, " What do you want here ? " This was 
a terrible beginning and pierced me to the heart. At last I 
took courage and replied, *' I have come here by the King's 
orders, and also to see my mother whom I adore, and the 
separation from whom is unbearable." " You had far better 
say, that you pierce her heart as it were with daggers," my 
mother interrupted me, " that you have come here in order to 
show all the world what a fool you were to marry a beggar. 
Why do you not remain at Ban-euth, where you can hide your 
poverty, instead of making an exhibition of it here ? I have 
told you before, that the King will do nothing for you, and 
that he has long ago repented of all the promises he made you. 
You will be a terrible nuisance to me Tvith your everlasting 
complaints, and will be a trouble to all of us ! " The im- 
pression these words made on me is easily to be conceived. I 
burst into tears, and fell on my knees before the Queen, kissing 
her hands. I endeavoured to soften her by tender words and 
entreaties. She let me be for half an hour at least without 
answering one word. 

Moved at length by my tears, or by the feeling that she 
must outvv^ardly at least show some semblance of kindness, 
she told me to get up, saying, " I will have pity on you and 
forget the past, but I advise you to behave differently for the 
future." The Queen then rose and left the room. I was 
beside myself with distress, and seeing one of the Queen's 
ladies, Mademoiselle von Pannewitz, who had been a great 
friend of mine, I fell on her neck, and wished to pour out 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 271 

my woes to her. She, however, looked at me from head to 
foot, and scarcely even vouchsafed to answer me. All the 
Queen's other ladies received me in the same fashion, ex- 
cepting Madame von Konnken, who entreated me to control 
myself saying all might yet change for the better. I did 
not dare address my husband. We looked sadly at each 
other. He observed that I had undergone some terrible 
agitation, and sighed in silence. Although I had had no 
food I was unable to eat a morsel, for my sister Charlotte 
did nothing else during supper but turn me into ridicule. 
Whenever she made any spiteful joke she received approving 
glances from the Queen. I took no notice whatever of her 
behaviour, though I was inwardly boiling over with anger. 
My other sisters, Sophie and Ubika, whispered to me as we 
got up from supper how dearly they loved me, but that my 
mother had forbidden them to speak to me. In spite of my 
being dead tired the Queen kept me up till one in the 
morning. '\^nien the Hereditary Prince and I were at last 
left alone together, we gave free vent to our feelings, and 
poured out our woes to each other. I told him in the pre- 
sence of my Glovemess how I had been received, whereupon 
she told us her own reception and that of my other ladies 
had been as bad. 

I spent a miserable night ! Next day I wrote to the King 
and informed him of my arrival. My brother's Master of 
the Horse brought me a letter, in which the Crown Prince 
wrote that he would come and see me in two days. The 
prospect of this visit cheered me. My affection for my 
brother was as great as ever, and he was now my only refuge. 
My sister Charlotte came to see me, but instead of speaking 
with me joked all the time with my husband. Everybody 
thought me terribly altered in appearance, and it was quite 
true, for I was nothing but skin and bone. This day the 
Queen was kinder to me. She no longer held receptions, but 
lived entu-ely with her children and her household. It was 



272 :memoies of the 



a lonely existence, for she did not any longer receive even 
the Princesses of the Blood. Of an afternoon the Queen Tvas 
read alond to, whilst she Tvorked. and in the evening she 
played cards. After dinner, coffee was dnink: in her room, 
and then all took their leave with the exception of the lady 
that was on dnty. This mode of life was not particnlarly 
cheerful. I received many visits, but they were more those 
of ceremony, as my visitors said many unamiahle things to 
me. 

The King came next day to Berlin. I had hoped that 
his presence would put an end to the miserable state of 
things, but alas, I was greatly mistaken. Aly father received 
me very coldly. He exclaimed on seeing me^ " So here you 
are, I am glad to see you." He then led me up to the light 
and looking at me said, '* How you are changed ! How is 
little Frederica ? " I replied that she kissed his hands. The 
King then continued, " I pity you both : you have not even 
bread, and if I did not help you where would you be ? I too 
am a poor man, and cannot give you much, but I will try 
and see what I can do for you. I will give you from time to 
time ten thalers or fforins, and that will be of some use. And 
you," my father said, turning to the Queen, ''' you can 
occasionally give her a dress, for the poor child has nothing 
to wear but what she has on at this moment ! " 

I thought this speech would have killed me, and I bitterly 
regretted the faith I had placed in the King's promises. Next 
day at dinner the King spoke in the same manner. The 
Hereditary Prince, who was present, blushed to the roots of 
his hair and replied that a Prince who possessed such a 
country as his own was could never be counted a beggar. 
His position was thus precarious only because he had a father 
who gave him no means of subsistence. In this he did not 
act very differently to other people. It was now my father's 
turn to get red, for he must have observed that my husband 
was alludinsr to the manner in which he had treated me and 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 273 

my brother. At length next day I had the great joy of seeing 
this beloved brother. I was with the Queen as he entered the 
room. He was so overcome with joy at seeing me, that he 
did not say a word to her, but rushed forward to embrace me. 
Many and tender were our words of greeting. My brother was 
greatly surprised when I told him of the reception I had met 
with. He said that he could not understand it at all, and 
that he would speak with Grumkow and Seckendorf that very 
evening about it. He told me he was on the best possible 
footing with these two, and that he would beg them to find 
means of obliging the Queen to treat me properly. Whilst 
the Crown Prince and I were talking together the Queen was 
walking up and down the room with my sister Charlotte. 
We now approached my mother again and went to dinner 
with her. Whilst we were at table the Queen began to 
speak of the Princess of Brunswick. She turned to me and 
said, " Your brother is in despair at being obliged to marry 
her. And I can quite understand it. She is the silliest 
creature on earth, she can only say ' yes ' and ' no,' and 
laughs so idiotically that it makes one quite ill." My sister 
Charlotte now interrupted her by saying, " But my dear 
mother is quite unaware of her other charms. I was present 
one morning when she was dressing, and it was terrible to see 
her. She is quite deformed : her stays are padded one side, 
as one hip is higher than the other." I was quite aghast at 
such things being said in my brother's presence of the 
Princess he was about to marry. I observed that he 
was very uncomfortable, and never uttered a word. This 
conversation was continued during the whole of dinner. 
After it, my brother bade the Queen good-night and I went 
to my room. 

Next day the Crown Prince came to see me. He told me 
he had asked Grrumkow and Seckendorf to speak to the 
King about my affairs, and that they had promised to con- 
sider what had best be done : when they had come to a 

T 



274 



MEMOIRS OF THE 



decision tlier woiild speak to me. If I approved of their 
plan, tliej would then speak to the King about it, and endea- 
Yonr to get his consent. I asked the Crown Prince if he was 
satisfied with the King. He replied that his position changed 
daily. One dav he was in favour with his father, and then 
the next in disgrace. The distance he lived from Berlin was 
a most fortunate circumstance. Mj brother said he led a 
most pleasant life at Euppin, dividing his time between music 
and the study of the sciences. I then asked the Crown 
Prince if the picture the Queen had drawn of the Princess of 
Brunswick were a correct one, and expressed my surprise that 
such remarks should have been made about the Princess 
before him. ^y brother replied, '' To be quite candid with 
you, my mother is by her constant intrigues the cause of all 
our troubles and unhappiness. Instead of keeping quiet after 
your marriage, and letting things rest, she opened fresh nego- 
tiations with England. She hoped to break off my sister 
Charlotte's engagement to Prince Charles of Bevem, and 
secure the Prince of Wales for her, and by that means to 
arrange my marriage with Princess Amelia of England. 
The result of this move was fresh quarrels between her and 
the King. Seckendorf then interfered, and to put an end to 
the whole business the King settled the marriage between the 
Princess of BiTmswick and myself. Finding it impossible 
to alter my father's decision, the Queen now says everything 
that is ill of the Princess. She would like me to quarrel with 
the King by telling him that I cannot bear my future wife. 
I am not going to be as foolish as that. I reaUy do not dis- 
like her as much as I pretend to do. I only give out that I 
do, in order that my obedience to the King's wishes may have 
greater weight." The Crown Prince then continued, " The 
Princess of Brunswick is very pretty, with a complexion that 
can only be compared to roses and lilies. She has delicate 
features, and must be considered a very pretty girl. She 
dresses very badly, and her education has been greatly 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIRETJTH. 275 

neglected. I hope when the Princess comes here you will be 
kind to her, and will try and remedy some of the defects in her 
bringing up. I recommend her to you, and ask you to take 
her imder your protection." I am sure that I need not say 
how gladly I promised my brother to do as he asked me. 

The King told the Queen he had arranged that a company 
of German actors should visit Berlin, and he wished us to 
attend the representation given by them that evening. My 
father was so delighted with the performance that we were 
obliged to go to the theatre every night as long as these 
actors remained in Berlin. The performance lasted four 
hours, and you were obliged to sit as still as if in church. 
It was bitterly cold in the theatre. A few days later my 
brother told me Seckendorf wished to speak to me, and that 
I was to send for him secretly. The Crown Prince then 
added laughingly, '* He is a good man, who sends me from 
time to time ships laden with gold. I have told him that he 
must send the same to you. I yesterday received one of 
these freights, which I am going to divide with you as a 
good brother should. My brother really brought me a 
thousand thalers next day, and promised me more. At first 
I refused to accept the sum, as I did not wish to become a 
burden on his purse. My brother, however, threw up his 
head in the air saying, " You can take it without fear. The 
Empress sends me as much money as I want, and I assure 
you I spend it all as quickly as I receive it." 

My interview with Seckendorf placed me in a great 
difficulty. The Queen hated him more than ever. She had 
surrounded me with her spies, who watched me day and 
night, and told her everything I did, and even who came to 
see me. The Hereditary Prince, however, succeeded in in- 
troducing Seckendorf into my rooms without anyone else 
being aware of it. I described my position at Berlin to him 
as well as that at Baireuth. I have forgotten to mention 
that the Margrave, my father-in-law, thought most highly of 

T 2 



276 MEMOIRS OF THE 



Seckendorf and had great confidence in him. Seckendorf 
shrugged his shoulders at the recital of my trouhles, and 
replied, " I fear the evil is not to he remedied on either side. 
I know the Margrave thoroughly : he is false, deceitful, and 
very suspicious. His small mind is perpetually trouhled hy 
the fear that he may he forced to ahdicate. It will require 
ages to put this idea out of his head, and when we have 
succeeded in this he will take up some new f ancy, and we 
shall have all the trouhle over again. I fear we cannot hope 
for any change. And now as regards the other side Tvith 
whom we have to reckon. We have here to do with a 
sovereign whose idol is money. He cannot he led or 
influenced. If anything is to he ohtained it wiU depend 
on the first impression made on him. He has long since 
repented the promises he made you at the Hermitage, and -^ill 
try and pick some quarrel with you in order to have an 
excuse for not keeping them. Your Eoyal Highness must 
therefore arm yourself with patience. The Margrave's death 
alone can, in my opinion, alter your position for the hetter. 
He has never had good health, and it is to he hoped that he 
will soon drink himself to death." 

Seckendorf then continued to say, " It is now time that I 
should deliver to your Royal Highness the messages mth 
which the Empress has entrusted me. She has desired me to 
assure you of her great affection and respect for you. The 
very f avourahle description that has heen made of your Eoyal 
Highness has greatly impressed the Empress. She vriR do all 
in her power to give you proofs of her friendship, and in return 
solicits your protection for the young Princess of Brunsmck. 
The dislike the Cro^Ti Prince has manifested towards the 
Princess makes the Empress very anxious. She had much 
hoped she should see the young couple, happy and united, and 
that this marriage might strengthen the alliance hetween 
Austria and Prussia. The great love and friendship your 
hrother hears you, and your influence T\ith him are important 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 277 

factors. The Empress feels that no one can do more in bringing 
about a better understanding between the Crown Prince and the 
Princess than your Eojal Highness. She will be everlast- 
ingly grateful to you if you will help in this direction." I 
assured Seckendorf how truly sensible I was of the Empress' 
kind feelings towards me, and how much flattered I felt by 
them. I begged him to assure her that I considered it my 
duty, since my brother was engaged to her niece, to do all in 
my power to bring about a more satisfactory state of things 
between them. I then complained bitterly to Seckendorf of the 
manner in which the King treated me. He begged me not 
to distress myself about 'it. It was the King's way, he said, 
and could not be altered. 

This conversation encouraged me. My husband and my 
brother were my only comfort, and alone diverted my sad 
thoughts. I should soon, however, have to part from the 
Crown Prince. He was to return to his regiment in a few 
days, and the King was to leave soon afterwards. My father 
desired my mother, before he left, to visit the theatre every 
evening during his absence. He was away only a short time, 
and then returned to Berlin, where he remained till after the 
New Year. The King amused himself during that time in 
visiting the theatre and in going out to all kinds of festivities. 
Crumkow and Seckendorf and the other Grenerals gave him 
big dinners, at which a great deal too much wine was drunk. 
My poor husband was obliged to be present on all these 
occasions. 

The King really treated us shamefully. He scarcely 
looked at us, and if he did so it was only for the purpose of 
making unpleasant remarks. The Queen, on the other hand, 
was most affectionate in her manner towards the Hereditary 
Prince, whilst she vented all her anger on me. This was all 
my sister Charlotte's doing, who did nothing but speak ill of 
me to my mother, whilst she praised the Prince, with whom 
she pretended to be in love. My sister ruled the Queen so 



278 MEMOIES OF THE 



entirelj, tliat she often eveii treated her like a connnon ser- 
vant. She was yery jealons of my brother's friendship for 
me, and believed my husband would show her greater atten- 
tion if I did not prevent him from doing so. 

My health was failing more and more, I grew daily thinner, 
and at times conld scarcely breathe. Besides this, I was in 
constant anxiety about my husband. He easily became 
feverish, and these constant dinners at which he was forced 
to drink more than he liked or was accustomed to, added to 
the daily annoyances and worries, did him much harm. One 
day he retmned home from one of these famous dinner 
parties looking pale as death, and trembling all over with 
fury. I was terribly frightened at his appearance, and still 
more so when he suddenly fainted away. Although more 
dead than alive I rushed to his assistance. When he re- 
gained consciousness, he told me that he had had a fearful 
scene with the King. My father had on this occasion, con- 
trary to his usual habit, not asked the Hereditary Prince to 
sit next him, but had placed Count Seckendorf between them. 
The King suddenly said, in quite a loud voice, so that the 
Prince could not help hearing it, " I cannot bear my son-in- 
law, he is a complete fool. I have given myself endless 
trouble to put some sense into his head, but all in vain. He 
is not even clever enough to drink a glass of wine, and 
nothing pleases or amuses him." 

My husband, who could scarcely contain his anger and was 
just going to drink the King's health, turned round to 
Seckendorf and said, " I wish the King were not my 
father-in-law, for then I would soon show him that the 
fool is able to stop his mouth." Having said this, he 
took up his glass and putting it to his mouth said, " In the 
de^dl's name." The King became scarlet with rage, but 
said nothing, and all the others looked do-^vm. After dinner 
was over the King got into his carriage and di'ove home 
alone. In general my husband drove -^ith him, but he did 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 279 

not on this occasion ask him to do so. As there was no other 
carriage the Prince had to walk home on foot. It was a long 
way and the cold was intense. My husband was in such a 
state of fuiy as he gave me this account, that I feared every 
moment he would have a fit. I did not think he was in a 
condition to go to the theatre, and therefore begged the 
Queen kindly to exclude us both on the plea of indisposition. 
My mother sent me back word that my husband must put in 
an appearance that evening, for she could not otherwise 
answer for the consequences with the King. We were there- 
fore obliged to accept the inevitable and go. I was crjrLng 
bitterly and had pulled a hood far over my face to try 
and hide my agitation. The Prince was pale as death, and 
muttered to himself all the time. The King never spoke a 
word, and as soon as supper was over we retired to our rooms. 
My husband was very ill all night : he insisted on om* at once 
returning to Baireuth, in which I entirely agreed with him. 
Grimikow and Seckendorf , who came to see him next morning, 
ui'ged him strongly to reconsider his decision. He gave in to 
theu" wishes and consented to remain, after having obtained 
a promise from them to speak to the King and represent to 
him that he must behave differently towards the Hereditary 
Prince. As long as the King remained at Berlin my husband 
and he continued growling at each other. At length my 
father went to Potsdam, where we followed him on the 10th 
January, 1733. 

The Hereditary Prince's health had suffered greatly : he 
grev/ very thin, and was tormented by a nasty dry cough. 
The remedies given him seemed to do him no good, and the 
doctors were seriously afraid he was going into a consumption. 
He could take no care of himself whatever. He had to be 
on parade every morning at ten o'clock, and we never got to 
bed till three in the morning. We spent four or five hours 
every evening listening to Montbaille's fairy tales, or to old 
legends of the Hanoverian family, all of which we knew by 



280 MEMOIRS OF THE 



lieart. I had been in many painful and difficult positions 
during my life, but none to equal tbe present. I loved my 
husband so tenderly, and I saw him fading away, without 
being able to nurse him properly. I had so to speak nothing 
to hve on, I was tormented and ill-treated on all sides, and 
was besides that myself constantly ill and suffering. My 
one happy thought was that of my death. Life had become 
such a burden to me that I longed for it to be over. I can 
say without exaggeration that for two years I had scarcely 
eaten anything else but a little dry bread, and I drank only 
water. 

The King was greatly distressed at the King of Poland's 
death, which took place about this time. Grrumkow had seen 
him a few days before he died at Frauenstadt, where he had 
gone to welcome him in my father's name. The King of 
Poland took an affectionate leave of him saying, "I shall 
never see you again." I do not know how it was, whether 
Grrumkow was much struck by these words, or whether it was 
a coincidence, but at any rate Grrumkow came to see my 
father the very day the King of Poland died, and told my 
father he was sure the King was dead. He had appeared to 
him in the night, pulled his bed-curtains aside, and looked at 
him fixedly. Grrumkow said, "I was wide awake, and 
wanted to jump out of bed, but the apparition vanished." It 
turned out afterwards that the King of Poland had reaUy 
died at the very hour at which he appeared to Grrumkow. 

My husband's illness increased at Potsdam. The fatigues, 
which were much greater there than at Berlin, were in great 
measure the cause of this. He had to be in the King's room 
every morning at nine o'clock, and I had to be with the 
Queen at ten. We then went with her to the State-room, 
which was never warmed, and remained there doing nothing 
till noon. After this we went to the King's private rooms to 
bid him good-morning, and then went to dinner, to which 
twenty-foui' guests were incited. The dinner consisted of 



MARGTIAYINE OF BAIHEUTH. 281 

two dishes, the one vegetables, which were boiled in water, on 
the top of which floated some melted butter with chopped 
herbs ; the pork and cabbage, of which every one got only a 
very small portion. Sometimes a goose was served or a 
tongh old chicken, and on Sundays there was one sweet dish. 
A very long-winded person sat at the middle of the table 
over against the King, and narrated the news of the day, on 
which he then poured forth a flood of political nonsense which 
engendered a deadly weariness. After dinner the King sat 
in his arm-chair near the flre and went to sleep. The Uueen 
and my sisters sat round him and listened to his snores. I 
always retu-ed to my own rooms as soon as dinner was over. 
At three o'clock the King went out riding, and my husband 
and I went to the Uueen. When my father returned home, 
he generally occupied himself with drawing or painting till 
eight o'clock, when he went to his " Tabagie." My mother 
meanwhile played at "Tocadille " with Madame von Konnken 
and Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld till we went to supper at 
nine. This meal lasted four or five hours, after which every 
one retired to bed. Such was the life we led, it never varied 
in the least, each day resembled its predecessor. 

The Hereditary Prince grew so much worse, that he could 
no longer leave his bed. The King expressed extreme surprise 
on being informed how HI my husband was. I have often 
mentioned that my father's faults were more those of temper, 
and that he really had a very kind heart. He was very 
anxious on hearing of my husband's condition. He visited 
him very often, and thought him so altered that he summoned 
all the doctors in Potsdam, and sent to Berlin for a celebrated 
physician to consult about the Hereditary Prince. My 
husband could not help smiling when he found himself sur- 
rounded by so many students of ^sculapius. He asked me 
if he were to be hurried into another world, or if he himself 
were to become a doctor. Those wise heads came to the con- 
clusion that there was hope of my husband's recovery, and 



282 MEMOIRS OF THE 



that hj leading a qiiiet and regular life he miglit escape 
consumption. I was quite alone at Potsdam, my ladies and 
gentlemen having remained at Berlin. I never left my 
husband all day except for the purpose of paying my respects 
to the King and Queen, and then I was away only for a 
quarter of an hour. The King was very kind when he saw- 
me, and one day said, " I know what is the matter ^ith your 
Margrave. He is annoyed at some remarks which I made at 
dinner not long ago, and also at being laughed at by my 
officers. I am the cause of it all, and am truly sorry for it. 
I really meant no ill, for I am fond of your Margrave. He 
is not lively enough, and I wanted to cheer him up, and 
caused my officers to make jokes at him." I replied that there 
was no doubt that the Hereditary Prince had been greatly 
upset by the manner he had been treated, that he would 
never forget the respect he owed his father-in-law, but that he 
would not stand being ridiculed by the officers. Up to this 
time he had controlled himself and seemed not to take any 
notice of the manner in which he was treated, but I did 
not know how long he would continue to do so. 

Upon this the King rephed, " My officers are perfect 
gentlemen, and well fitted to educate your husband. He 
must become better acquainted T\-ith them. I shall tell them 
to visit him daily, they will cheer him up. He must not 
always remain among women." I answered that I was sure 
the Hereditary Prince would be very pleased to see the 
officers, but that I should not however leave his side. I was 
far too anxious about him to be away from him for any 
length of time. The King answered me, " You are a good 
woman, and Grod T\ill bless you. You love your husband : let 
nothing ever change that afi'ection ! " The Queen continued 
her old system. She scolded me incessantly and spoke of the 
Hereditary Prince in the most unbecoming manner. My 
mother could not • bear my being with him, and turned my 
devotion to him into ridicule. I did not in the least care what 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 283 

she did, but went on quietly my o^n way. Although my 
father quite approved of my conduct, he constantly sent 
officers to see my hushand. They were for the most part 
uneducated wild yoimg men, who were of no good save to 
drill and train soldiers. My hushand did not like them, and 
their visits prevented our quiet talks together. They 
annoyed and bothered him, and his health suffered in con- 
sequence. He was obliged also to w^eigh every word he said 
to these unwelcome visitors, as he knew they repeated every- 
thing to the King. 

The Duke of Bevern and his son passed through Berlin at 
this time. They were on their way back from Yienna. The 
Duke at once came to see the Hereditary Prince, and found 
him very ill. I told him all my troubles, and he promised me 
to speak with the King, and try and bring him to reason. ' The 
Duke brought me a beautiful present from the Empress. It 
was a brooch in the shape of a nosegay, composed of emeralds 
and diamonds. She sent it me, she said, as an especial mark 
of her affection for me. The presence of my brother and of 
these two friends did much towards calming my husband's 
agitated feelings. Prince Charles and he were very intimate, 
and the former spent much of his time with him. The Duke 
meanwhile tried to be of use to us with the King. He 
succeeded m preventing the visits from these officers, and 
explained to my father that it was imperative that the 
Hereditary Prince should have perfect quiet. The result 
was most satisfactory, and in a fortnight the Prince's health 
had so much improved that he was able to leave his room. 
He however still coughed. The King received him very 
kindly, and the Queen overwhelmed him with affection. 

The presence of the Duke of Bevern and his son did 
much towards cheering us. Prince Charles had greatly im- 
proved, and Princess Charlotte was, so to speak, in "love's 
paradise." She was so entirely engrossed with Prince 
Charles that she neglected the Queen. She, to humiliate my 



284 MEMOIRS OF THE 



sister, was most kind to me, even giving me beautiful presents. 
My sister's devotion to Prince Charles annoyed my mother 
aU the more as she had hoped to break off the engagement 
and marry her to the Prince of Wales. The Queen had this 
idea so firmly fixed in her mind, that nothing would persuade 
her that her hopes were futile. After the Duke of Bevern's 
departure I fell back into disgrace. Charlotte regained her 
wonted influence over the Queen, and I had to suffer for the 
peaceful days I had enjoyed. 

The King only waited till my husband had entirely 
recovered to send him to rejoin his regiment. We tried to 
put off this evil day as long as possible. The Hereditary 
Prince was to set up house at Pasewalk. But how was he to 
do so, without any means? Seckendorf endeavoured to 
explain this to the King, and tried to persuade him to give 
my husband a sum of money every month to enable him to 
live. My father answered angrily, " His pay wiU suffice for 
that purpose, and if he is a good manager, he will have more 
than enough ; but then he is such a fool ! " It needs no words 
of mine to describe how such treatment hurt us. We were 
often in such despair, that we made every kind of impossible 
plan to help us out of our difficulties. We thought of 
escaping to Holland and there selling my jewels, which were 
very valuable. We thought too of remaining there under a 
feigned name till circumstances took a more favourable turn. 
A httle reflection showed us the absurdity of our plans, and 
we determined therefore to be patient and not to lose heart. 

At last the sad day on which the Prince was to leave me 
drew near, and I was in the greatest distress. He left me on 
the 25th March. I had cried so much that my face was quite 
disfigured. I was nevertheless obliged to appear at Court 
and hide my sorrow as best I could. My father however 
observed it and said, " You are sad, and have cried terribly." 
I answered that it was so. " I am very sorry," he began 
again, " but it was absolutely necessary that he should join 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 285 

his regiment." By way of comforting me he drank my 
health and that of my husband at dinner, which he had never 
done before. The Uneen was more cruel towards me than 
ever : in spite of my sore eyes and weak chest, she forced me 
to read aloud to her all the afternoon. Perhaps she did it with 
a kind intention, and thought to distract my mind from my 
sad thoughts. In spite of every effort to control my grief, 
my face showed but too plainly what I suffered. The tears 
were constantly in my eyes, do what I would. It has always 
been one of my greatest faults that I cannot dissemble. So 
few people have the gift of making the griefs of others their 
o\\Ti. Some partly because they have only cause for happiness, 
and others because sorrow and a sad face are unpleasant to 
them. This was the case with the King. He was by nature 
inclined to be melancholy, and for that reason liked to be 
surrounded by happy cheerful faces. He was bored by my 
distress, and told the Queen to tell me so. Yery little was 
necessary to rouse her displeasure against me, and she scolded 
me that afternoon for two whole hours. I had nothing to 
cheer or distract me, I w^as separated from my husband, and 
in constant anxiety about him and the fatigues to which he 
would be exposed. To make matters worse, I was obKged to 
be present at the King's afternoon sleep, after which he made 
me sit opposite to him, without speaking a word to me. He 
did this merely to plague me. But I observe that I have not 
for some time mentioned Baireuth. 

The Margrave was, as I said before, delighted at my depar- 
ture, and flattered himself that my absence would last some 
time. He wrote me from time to time very civil letters. 
The refusal of his daughter, the Princess of Taxis, to come to 
Baireuth had vexed him greatly. On nearer enquiry he 
found out that her mother-in-law, the old Princess of Taxis, 
was giving herself the greatest trouble to convert the Princess 
to Poman Catholicism. The Margrave therefore determined 
to go himself to Frankfort, where the family of Taxis lived, 



286 MEMOIRS OF THE 



and put an end to this plan. Before doing so, lioweYer, lie 
sent M. Yon Fiseiier there to find out how matters reallv 
stood. As he was jonmeying thither, this gentleman re- 
ceiYed a letter from the Princess' Chaplain, who informed 
h im that he had always ohserYed that she had a great leaning 
towards the Eomish Chnrch. The Princess had, howeYer, 
assured him in answer to his representations, that she neYer 
intended changing her religion. Lately, howeYer, he had in 
vain endeaYonred to prevent her going to Mayence, and had 
heard she had jnst heen received into the Chnrch of Home by 
the Elector of Mayence.* The town of Frankfort was so 
furions at this proceeding, that the Princess had been warned 
that should she endeavour to show her face there, the inhabi- 
tants woidd murder the whole family and bum down their 
palace. On the receipt of this letter M. von Fischer turned 
back, and brought these unpleasant tidings to Baireuth. The 
Margrave was determined to put a bold face on the whole 
matter, and gave a ball that very evening. This was not 
well received, and my father-in-law went to Neustadt, near 
Erlansren, to hide his annovance. But to return to Pots- 
dam. 

The EJing was in a dreadful temper, from which his poor 
servants had much to suffer. I was present at a scene one day 
which distressed me greatly. My father was so furious with 
one of his valets, that he broke three sticks over his head and 
beat hiTTi so terribly that the poor man lay almost lifeless on 
the ground. The King tore the poor wretch's hair, kicked him, 
and finally dragged him out of the room and ordered him to 
be shut up. I nearly fainted with terror. People rushed to 
the poor man's assistance and bound up his wounds. My 
father afterwards gave him his dismissal, which was the 
greatest kindness it seemed to me he could show him. 

My husband wrote to me that he had visited mv brother at 



The Roman Catholic Bishop. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 287 

Euppin, on liis way to Pasewalk. I grieve to say that the 
Crown Prince was leading a most wild disorderly life. He 
was most anxious that my husband should associate himself 
with him in his adventures. The Hereditary Prince, who had 
a horror of vice of every kind, left Euppin at the end of two 
days. I was anxious to impress the King favourably with my 
husband's zeal for his military duties. I therefore told my 
father, that the Prince presented his respects and wished him to 
know that he had rej oined his regiment. "How," said the King, 
" I thought he had been with your brother at Euppin ? " To 
this remark I replied, " Yes, he was there but his .impatience 
to be with his regiment prevented his making a longer stay." 
This answer pleased my father greatly, and he said, " He need 
not have hurried so much, and two days sooner or later would 
not have mattered. The two brothers-in-law must become 
more intimate." Then after a short silence the King con- 
tinued, " I pity you very much, for you are poor, but you 
have a husband w^ho has great qualities, and this must be a 
comfort to you. I have a plan in my head which will I hope 
be of service to you both. There are certain fiefs (Lehen) which 
will soon fall in to me, and which I must bestow afresh. Two 
of these will shortly be at my disposal, and I shall give them 
to your husband. The income derived from them amounts to 
10,000 thaler s.* I will also settle on him the reversion of the 
next commandery (Commende) of the order of St John of 
Jerusalem that falls vacant. The person who is at present in 
possession of it is so old, that he cannot live much longer." 
I thanked the King a thousand times for his goodness to 
us. This sudden change from evil to good caused me to make 
many reflections on the changeableness of earthly things. 
Yery soon after this the fiefs fell in, and the King kept his 
word and settled them on the Hereditary Prince. My 
brother's retmm added to my satisfaction. He was most 

* £1,500. 



288 MEMOIRS OF THE 



tender and good to me, spoke with great affection of nij hus- 
band, and gave me so mnch money that I was ahle to pay off 
all mj debts, and provide for the Hereditary Prince's stay at 
Pasewalk. 

The King had sent an official from the finance department 
to Bairenth to try and put affairs in order there. On his 
retnm he laid the real state of the case before my father. It 
turned out afterwards he had himself not been properly 
informed of the real facts. This official told the King that 
the Margrave had approved of the proposed plan, by which 
all the debts of the Principality of Baireuth were to be paid 
off in twelve years. My father at once communicated this 
good news to me. He also sent the man that had been to 
Baireuth to see me, in order that he might explain the whole 
business, and that I might then inform my husband of it all. 

I gradually became calmer as things assumed a more 
favourable aspect. It seemed, nevertheless, as if I was 
doomed to be slowly wasted. I was always ill and suffering, 
and as we had no doctor at Potsdam, my health became 
gradually worse. 

Just at this time too I received bad news from Baireuth. 
Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld wrote me word that Princess 
Charlotte had completely gone out of her mind. The poor 
Princess had for some time been flattering herself that 
she should marry the Prince of TJsingen, though she had 
never seen him. She had now read in the papers the 
announcement of his marriage ^ith the Princess of Eisenach. 
This news had upset her so much that she had become quite 
insane and even dangerously violent. The Princess of Taxis 
had no sooner become a Pomanist than in despair at the step 
she had taken, she had tried to commit suicide by throwing 
herself out of window. Her mother-in-law and her husband 
had the greatest trouble in ]3acif jdng her, and her condition 
was not imlLke that of Princess Charlotte. Mademoiselle von 
Sonnsfeld also told me that my little daughter was beginning 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 289 

to teetli. Tlie Margrave insisted on taking lier to Himmels- 
eron against the doctors' advice, but Mademoiselle von 
Sonnsfeld had succeeded in inducing him first to ^Tite to me 
on the subject. My father-in-law followed her advice. I 
showed his letter to the Uueen, asking her opinion on the 
subject. She said she did not think it advisable that the 
child should be moved at present, as during teething children 
always required the greatest care and attention. I therefore 
wrote a most courteous letter to the Margrave, begging him 
to allow little Frederica to remain at Baireuth. I heard 
afterwards that my letter had made him very angry, and that 
he had taken my child to Himmelscron in spite of every 
remonstrance. His reason for doing so, he said, was that he 
intended showing that he was master, and could do with the 
child whatever he pleased. Poor little thing ! it nearly cost 
her her life. She was so ill for some time afterwards that her 
recovery was despaired of. Not satisfied with this, my father- 
in-law must needs write me a most cruel letter, in which he 
heaped reproaches on me. I showed this letter to the Queen, 
who was at first extremely angry at it, and said she would 
herself write to him on the subject. She however afterwards 
thought it would be wiser to do nothing, and advised me 
to treat my father-in-law courteously. Mademoiselle von 
Sonnsfeld, who was greatly beloved and respected at Babeuth, 
and had great influence with the Margrave, effected a recon- 
ciliation between us. 

The King and Queen were greatly delighted at receiving 
the news of my sister of Anspach's safe confinement, and the 
bii^th of a son. The joyful intelligence was brought them by 
the Chamberlain M. von Nostiz. The King gave a fete in 
honour of the event. He told M. von Nositz that he had a 
wife ready for the little Prince in my daughter. I thought 
there was still plenty of time before us to think about that. 

Prince Charles of Bevern reached Berlin that same evening, 
on his retui^n from Holland. I was delighted to see him and 



290 MEMOIKS OF THE 



to liave news of my husband. My brother also arrived, and 
overwhehned me with affection. I spoke with him about my 
present position, and he advised me to be patient. There 
would come a time, he said, when he should be able to make 
up for all the sufferings I had had to endm^e. " I shall not 
only never require a shilling paid back of the loan made you 
by the King," my brother said, " but I will also give you, if 
yom- father-in-law is still living, a pension of 40,000 thalers 
(£6,000), and shall not consent to o\u' being separated any 
more. I give you my word of honour about it, and, if you 
wish it, I will give it you in writing, and have it signed and 
sealed." I assured him that his word, his love and his 
friendship were far more precious to me than any worldly 
advantages he could promise me. I forgot all my sorrows as 
.long as I had my beloved brother with me. 

The King and Queen seemed bent on finding some fresh 
manner in which to torment me. They always treated me 
lilve some poor beggar in want of bread. Remarks of this 
natm^e were constantly made at the dinner table. It was 
most painful to me, as these cruel speeches were made in the 
presence of M. von Nostiz. The King even went so far as 
to abuse my husband, calling him a fool and a blockhead. If 
I endeavom^ecl to reply, my father looked at me in so fmious 
a manner, that the words died on my lips. 

I meanwhile received news from Baireuth of the Mar- 
grave's illness. He was failing fast, and was anxious for om^ 
return. I had written to Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld how 
painful my position at Berlin was. She now -wrote and advised 
me to return to Bau-euth and take advantage of my father-in- 
law's kindly feelings towards us. Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld 
also told me that Princess Charlotte's condition had greatly 
improved, and that her fits of madness retmiied only at rare 
intervals. I begged Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld to do her 
utmost to fm"ther oiu* retm^n to Baireuth. I mentioned how- 
ever that at present nothing coidd be said to the King about 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREIITH. 291 

it. He would certainly not let ns take our clepartiu^e till tlie 
inspection of the Hereditary Prince's regiment had taken 
place. It would also be impossible for me to leave before the 
arrival of the Princess of Brunswick. My brother had asked 
me to take her imder my protection and do what I could for 
her, and I had promised him to do so. I therefore urged 
Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld to try and arrange matters in 
such a manner that unless the Margrave grew much worse, we 
might return in the month of August. 

The Hereditary Prince wrote to me every mail clay. He 
gave himself eiidless trouble to bring his regiment to a state 
of efficiency. He ^Tote to me that he had heard from the 
King, and that his letter contained nothing but abuse and 
reproaches. This treatment hurt him doubly, as he did not in 
the least deserve it. He was extremely fond of his profession, 
and devoted himself seriously to the performance of his duties. 
My father continued to torment me, and I could not in the 
least make out why. I afterwards f oimd that his conduct had 
been caused by the gossip of some officers. The Hereditary 
Prince was devoted to music, and himself played the flute 
very well. He had induced a \iolinist to come to Pasewalk 
and accompany him when he played. The King considered 
music a capital offence, and maintained that everyone should 
devote himself to one sole object : men to the military service, 
and women to their household duties. Science and the arts 
he counted among the " seven deadly sins." I told my 
husband of this peculiarity of my father's, begged him there- 
fore to leave his music alone for the short time he was still at 
Pasewalk. I was anxious we should part from the King on 
the best of terms, for on our return to Baireuth we should 
need his support more than ever. My husband followed my 
advice, and dismissed the violinist. No sooner had he done 
so than my father sang the Hereditary Prince's praises and 
was most kind to me. The Queen, on the other hand, ill- 
treated me cruelly. I have always said how dearly I loved 

u 2 



292 



:memoirs of the 



my yoimger sisters. Tliey were eliarming cliildreii, and 
althoiigh tliej were still very voiing they tried in everT way 
in their power to be of nse to me. They always warned me 
when my sister Charlotte had set the Queen against me. 
My mother even spoilt the pleasure I had in talMng to 
them, and forhad them to have any interconrse with me, 
threatening them with severe punishment if they disoheyed 
her. The Queen told them I was the one black sheep in the 
family, and that they could learn nothing but evil from me. 
As soon as I entered the Queen's room, they ran away, look- 
ing at me with tears in their eyes. My mother made her 
servants believe the same, so that none of them dared even 
open the door for me when they saw me approaching. 

I had determined to leave Potsdam at once, and to com- 
plain to the King of the treatment I was subject to. Madame 
von Konnken, however, dissuaded me fiom such a step. I 
then proposed asking my mother for an explanation of her 
cruel conduct, but Madame von Konnken again very wisely 
prevented my doing so. She told me I should gain nothing 
by it. The nearer my brother and sister's weddings drew, 
the more furious my mother grew with me. She said to 
Madame von Konnken that I was the cause of all her ti^oubles 
and annoyances. If I had not mamed the Hereditary Prince, 
my brother and sister's double mamage would never have 
been arranged. She could not look at me, the Queen said, 
without angry feelings. Madame von Konnken told the 
Queen that this was most imchiistian behaviom\ that it was 
oiu^ duty to submit to the decrees of Providence, and that 
maniages were made in heaven. The Queen rej)lied that 
she was well aware that her besetting sins were revengeful 
feelings, and the impossibility of forgiving or forgetting. 
However, the -s^ise representations made by Madame von 
Konnken bore fruit, and I determined to beai' my fate with 
patience. 

My Kfe was one long chain of soitow and trouble. But I 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 293 

must now give a few anecdotes in order that this narrative 
may not become wearisome from the perpetual vein of sad- 
ness which runs thi'ough it. 

About this time the Prince of Anhalt Bernburg came to 
Potsdam to present his respects to the King. My father, 
who was very fond of teasing people, and besides liked arrang- 
ing marriages, took it into his head to marry his niece, the 
Princess Albertine (his sister's daughter) , to this Prince, who 
however knew nothing of this plan. He was very short, 
Tsdth a face resembHng a full moon, and very high shoulders. 
I never saw anyone much uglier or stupider than this 
Prince. He stuttered, and could not say a word without 
making a gurgling noise like a child. In spite of all my sor- 
row, I could not help laughing when I first saw this wonder- 
ful little personage. He was truly ridiculous. His destined 
bride was as ugly, as stupid, and as disagreeable as he was. 
The King at once brought the Prince on his arrival to see the 
Queen. At dinner he said to him, " Listen to me, Prince, I 
am going to marry you. I know of just the wife for you : 
one who will make you happy. You must marry my niece. 
She is the best creature possible, full of good qualities, but as 
ugly as a thousand devils. Tou must look at her only in the 
dark. But that does not matter much, does it, Prince ? " 
The poor man was at a loss what to answer, and could not 
make up his mind whether to say " yes " or " no." " I will 
drive to Berlin with you this afternoon," the King continued, 
" and we will dine with my good old aunt, and then you can 
propose to her daughter." The poor Prince was much per- 
plexed, but after a few moments' reflection, felt greatly 
honoured at marrying the King's niece, he therefore answered 
amidst stutters and hesitations, that he would be proud to 
accompany him to Berlin. 

The news I received from Baireuth was very satisfactory. 
Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld wrote that the Margrave's con- 
dition grew visibly worse. He had gone to Neustadt to visit 



294 MEMOIRS OF THE 



his wretched brother, of whom I have made mention before, 
and who had meanwhile married a Princess of Anhalt-Schanm- 
bnrg. My father-in-law spent enormous sums of money 
during his stay at Neustadt, and passed his days in playing 
at cards and amusing himself. One day in going down stairs 
he had a very bad fall, and was carried almost lifeless to his 
room. I never knew whether he had injured himself intern- 
ally. The doctors that attended him were so ignorant that their 
accounts could not be believed. Whether caused by his fall 
or by his habits of intemperance I cannot tell, but the Mar- 
grave was seized with violent haemorrhage, and his recovery 
was despaired of. His chaplain had been sent for to prepare 
him for his approaching end. His good constitution however 
saved him this time, and he recovered slowly. 

Every one at Baireuth, since mj father-in-law's accident, 
had been clamouring for our return. He wished it himself 
and wrote to me asking me to advise him in what way he 
could bring it about. I showed several people this letter 
knowing that they would make its contents known to the 
King, and I also for the same reason gave them full particulars 
of my father-in-law's fall. The King did not wish to lose us, 
but at the same time did not wish to treat us properly. Yet to 
prevent our departure he tried to do everything to win us 
over to his side. He fondled me, and was loud in my 
husband's praises. All this touched me but little : I had 
been too often deceived to have much faith in outward 
appearances. 

The King was indisposed, and his face much altered and 
swollen. One afternoon he was seized with a bad attack of 
suffocation and breathlessness. We were all sitting round 
him, and did not at first observe it, as he was in the habit of 
snoring loudly. I was the first to notice his face being quite 
black and swollen. I at once told the Queen, who tried in 
vain to rouse my father. We called for assistance, cut open 
his collar, and pom-ed water over his face, after which he 



MAUGRAVIXE OF BAIREUTH. 295 

gradaallj regained consciousness. This attack frightened 
the King very much, but the doctors to please him treated it 
very lightly. They knew however that these had been very 
grave symptoms, probably caused b}^ suppressed gout. 

The spring, that beautiful season, when all nature seems 
awakened to new life and being, was to me a time of renewed 
persecution. We were obliged to go every evening into the 
King's garden. The King called this garden " Marly," but 
I never knew why. It was a fine large kitchen garden, in 
which my father had planted varieties of rare Em'opean 
fruits. It was no pleasure to walk there, as there was no 
shade of any kind. We had to do so every afternoon at one 
o'clock. At eight o'clock we had a moderately good supper 
served in the garden, and at nine w^e all returned home. The 
King rose every morning at four o'clock, to be present when 
his regiment paraded, which took place under his windows. I 
lived on the ground floor and could not sleep all night on 
account of the firing that went on. One of the soldiers, who 
was anxious to load too fast, fired his gun before he had time 
to pull out the ramrod, which went through the window into 
my room. 

I endm'ed all these fatigues with patience. My husband's 
retm'u was such intense joy to me, that I forgot everything 
else. He arrived at Potsdam with my brother on the 20th of 
May. To my great satisfaction I found the Hereditary 
Prince looking decidedly better than when he had left me. 
His cough, however, although not so troublesome, still con- 
tinued. The King received him kindly, and was much 
pleased mth the report he brought him of the efiiciency of his 
regiment. The Margravine Albertine and her daughter, 
together with the Prince of Bemburg, arrived that afternoon. 
The wedding of the Prince of Bemburg vdih. the Margravine's 
daughter was to take place next day. The young Princess 
was radiant ^ith happiness, and did nothing but laugh when- 
ever her bridegroom was mentioned. Her two ladies joined 



296 me:\[oirs of the 



in her laughter. The Prince himself gave the signal by 
a loud outburst, which the two ladies echoed. It was so 
ridiculous, that we too were obliged to laugh. The King 
teased his niece very much, but was only answered by shouts 
of laughter, which displeased him greatly. We did every- 
tliing in oiu' power to induce Princess Albertine to be more 
serious, but it was all in vain. Her joy at the near prospect 
of her marriage was too much for her. The Hereditary Prince 
and Prince Charles of Bevern had been incited by the King 
to be present at the wedding. They visited the bridegroom 
next day, more I fear for the purpose of amusing themselves 
at his expense than to show him civility. It seemed that 
everybody except this unfortunate Prince knew the wed- 
ding was to be solemnized that evening. He was so confused 
and absent, that he had forgotten all about it. He swore 
like a trooper, and declared he had no proper clothes, and 
that the ceremony must be postponed till next day. The 
King was greatly amused at this, and the Hereditary Prince 
was obliged to lend him the necessary garments, for which 
the Prince of Bemburg was so grateful that he ran every 
moment to him for advice in other matters. I can say with 
perfect truth that I never -witnessed an}i:liing so funny as 
this wedding. There were balls for three days after it, which 
we thoroughly enjoyed. These happy days were not of long 
duration, for my husband was obliged to return to his regi- 
ment. He left me again on the 27th of May, on which day 
my brother and all the other royal guests took their departure. 
The King expressed himself greatly pleased with the 
Hereditary Prince, whom he thought greatly improved. 
" He will become my favourite son-in-law," my father said 
tm-ning to the Uueen, " I love my children very dearly, and 
nothing shall prevent my giving my son-in-law all the money 
I have lent him, if he continues behaving as he does now." 
I kissed the King's hand, and thanked him in the tenderest 
accents. On his again repeating to me what he had said to 



MAHGRAYINE OF BAIREUTH. 297 

the Queen, I ventured to assure him that we should be 
greatly distressed if he thought our conduct had heen 
prompted by selfish motives. "We needed his help sorely, of 
that there was no doubt, but we did not wish to be in any 
way a burden to him. I would rather refuse to accept his 
generous offer, than feel I was a trouble to him. 

My father turned to me with a loving look whilst tears 
stood in his eyes, and said, "No, my dear child, I shall not 
allow you to leave me, and as long as I live you shall be 
cared and provided for." These words touched me much, 
but at the same time made me feel rather uneasy. Knowing 
how changeable the King was, I could not put much reliance 
on his promises, yet they could not leave me unmoved. I 
loved him so dearly, and had it not been for the Queen's 
jealousy I should easily have regained my old place in his 
affections. It was impossible to be on good terms with one 
of my parents without offending the other. My mother made 
me suffer for my father's kindness and scolded me all day. 
I have never yet been able to discover who originated the 
intrigue which was made against the Hereditary Prince and 
myself. There is however no doubt that some one at this 
moment tried to make as much mischief as possible. 

One day the King said to me " I have thought of a plan 
which will enable you both to remain here. I will give your 
husband an annuity which will enable him to live at Pase- 
walk, as his position demands. You can then visit him there 
from time to time, for if you remain there entirely, he would 
neglect his regiment." That this plan did not particularly 
please it is needless to say, yet I did not like to contradict the 
King directly. I therefore merely replied that I should 
always encourage my husband in the performance of his 
duties. My father observed that his intentions did not quite 
agree with my views, so he tin-ned the conversation. As the 
King and Queen w^ere leaving on the 8th June for Brunswick, 
in order to attend my brother's wedding, I asked for leave to 



298 MEMOIRS OF THE 



visit my husband at Pasewalk. At first my father con- 
sented to my request, hut on second thoughts said it was 
scarcely worth while for me to undertake the jom-ney, as he 
should be back in a week, and wou.ld on his return send for 
the Hereditary Prince. This answer vexed me extremely. I 
had a horror of Berlin, and feared I should there be exposed 
to fresh annoyances. As it was, my mother had forbidden my 
sisters or her ladies to go near me. AH this and other 
vexations had upset me so much that I had to go to bed, 
where I at once fell asleep, as much from weakness as from 
fatigue. I had scarcely slept three horn's when a great noise 
in my antechamber woke me. I started up in alarm, drew 
back the bed curtains, and called my maid Mermann. This 
faithful servant never left me, and shared my sorrows and 
joys with me. I called in vain, no one came to my assistance, 
and the noise continued. My horror is easily to be imagined 
when I mention that I suddenly saw by the dim light of my 
night-light a dozen tall grenadiers with fixed bayonets enter 
my room. I thought I was lost indeed, and that I was to 
be arrested. In vain I racked my brain as to what possible 
crime I was guilty of. My maid now rushed into my room 
and pacified me by telling me that she had not been able to 
get to me sooner as she had tried to prevent the soldiers 
entering my room. The castle was on fhe, she said, and 
this was the cause of all the tumult. I asked where the 
fire was ? My maid was reluctant to answer at first, but 
ended in saying that my sisters' rooms were burning, but 
that their servants would let no one in, as they declared the 
fire was in my apartments. My Governess now came to me 
in great alarm. She managed to prevent the officers coming- 
further into the room, and so enabled me to get up. There- 
upon my room was thoroughly searched and not a trace of 
fire was to be found anywhere. The soldiers now proceeded 
to my sisters' rooms where everything was found in flames, 
the beds destroyed and the woodAvork nearly so. The fii'e 



iNIARGRAVINE OF BATREUTH. 299 

Avas at length put out after much trouble. The King was at 
once informed of what had occurred. My father was very 
severe in such matters, and always dismissed the servants 
whether they were guilty or innocent. 

Whatever should I have done, had the fire taken place in 
my rooms ? The King was at first told it was where I lived 
that the accident had happened, and flew into a great passion 
about it. Hearing however that this was not the case, he 
grew calm again. My sisters were in great distress, and 
came crying to me, to know whatever they were to do. 

I offered Charlotte to share my bed, whilst the two others 
slept in the Hereditary Prince's. Mademoiselle de Montbail 
was obliged to sleep on the sofa, at which she grumbled a 
good deal. My sister soon fell asleep, but as she was 
accustomed to have the bed to herself, she pushed me con- 
stantly and woke me up. "We laughed much over it, the 
more so, as my two younger sisters could not sleep either. 
We therefore decided to call our maids and get up and have 
breakfast. Mademoiselle de Montbail now appeared, clad 
like a rising sun, in brightest yellow, and full of com- 
plaints against us. She said she had never slept, and 
that the sofa had been so hard, that her bones ached in 
consequence. I am afraid the little humiliation this dear 
lady had been obliged to endure, afforded me great secret 
pleasure. Mademoiselle de Montbail was always the one to 
rouse the Queen and Princess Charlotte's anger against me. 
It was only after much earnest entreaty that Mademoiselle de 
Montbail obtained from the King a free pardon for her 
servants. My father said I was most good natured to have 
helped my sisters as I had. 

The King was to start next day, and the Queen was to 
accompany him. My mother was terribly dejected, and 
looked ill and altered. It was however impossible to pity 
her. She was as passionate as the King, and no one, not 
even my sister Charlotte, could get on with her. My brother 



300 MEMOIRS OF THE 



arrived in the eyening. TTlien alone ^th me, he was as 
meiTT as possible, hut before others he affected to be miserably 
unhappy. Next day we all separated, and I returned with 
my sisters to Berlin. 

M^y father had, much to oiu* disgust, desired us to visit the 
theatre every evening. The Princesses of the Blood, T\-ith 
whom I was on very good terms, joined me there. They 
did so as a mark of civility towards me. We conversed the 
whole time together, paying no attention to the play, which 
was very second rate. The Margravine Phillip incited me 
several times to dinner, and I enjoyed myself there extremely. 
The Hargravine always invited some clever agreeable people 
to meet me, and the evenings were spent most pleasantly. I 
endeavoured as much as possible to avoid coming in contact 
with those people who annoyed me, and I consecjuently spent 
a Cjuiet time at Berlin. 

Sastot, the Queen's Chamberlain, often came to see me. 
Although a very intimate friend of Grumkow's, he was an 
honest man and devoted to me. He was very clever, but 
lacked common sense. I confided all my difficidties to him, 
and told him that I was determined at all hazards to retm^n 
to Baireuth as soon as my husband's regiment had been in- 
spected. Sastot answered that Grrumkow had asked him to 
tell me he had received a letter from the Hereditary Prince 
containing the very same suggestion. It even seemed to 
him as if my husband were not disinclined to leave the regi- 
ment altogether. Grnunkow had told the "King this, and 
represented to him at the same time how much dissatisfied we 
were T\ith the manner in which we v\'ere treated. 

The King feigned the greatest astonishment at this, and 
answered that he could not let us leave. " I will give my 
son-in-law 20,000 thaler s* as his pay, on condition that he 
remains with his regiment. My daughter must stay vnth. her 

* £4,000. 



MARGRAYI^^E OF BAIREUTH. 301 

motlier, and can see her husband from time to time." Grrrnn- 
kow, who was well aware of onr intentions, had made no reply 
to this remark of the King's, but now begged me to let him 
know what he was to do. I begged Sastot to tell Grmnkow, 
with my kind greeting, that I implored him to arrange 
matters in such a manner as to enable us to return to Baireuth. 
My health was destroyed, I said, and I was overwhelmed 
by troubles and difficulties. I would not continue to live 
separated from the Hereditary Prince, and no one could 
expect us to bury ourselves alive in some small garrison town. 
The Margrave of Baireuth's health was failing rapidly, and 
our presence at Baireuth was absolutely necessary. 

Next day Sastot brought me Grrumkow's answer. He 
would do all that lay in his power to urge our departure on 
the King. It would however be necessary that the Margrave 
should also take steps in that direction. The King must 
first be told about the Margrave's illness. Grumkow in- 
formed me at the same time that the Principality of Cleves 
had petitioned the King to make me Eegent there, and had 
offered to provide entu-ely for my maintenance. The King 
had declined the request, accompanying his refusal with a 
reprimand, saying that he hoped he might never have a repe- 
tition of the request. I was very sorry these good people 
should suffer on my account. I had not the faintest idea 
of the step that had been taken, or I would have endeavoured 
to prevent it. 

I was most anxious for news from Brunswick, and details 
of the wedding. My brother kindly sent me M. von 
Kaiserling, a great favourite of his, to tell me all about it. 
He told me my brother was quite pleased with his bride, and 
that he had played his part on the wedding day (the 12th 
June) extremely well. He had made every one believe he 
was in the worst possible temper, and had scolded his servants 
in violent tones before the King. The King had remon- 
strated with him on the subject, and had seemed very 



302 MEMOIRS OF THE 



thoughtful. The Queen was delighted with the Brunswick 
Court, but could not hear the Crown Princess. My 
mother had treated the two Duchesses '' like dogs," so 
much so that the reigning Duchess had with great trouble 
been prevented from complaining to the King about it. 
That evening I received a letter from the King in his own 
handwriting. He wrote very kindly, and desired my sisters 
and me to go to Potsdam where I should soon see my 
husband. This prospect made me very happy, and I left 
in good spirits for Potsdam. 

The King arrived there before the Queen. He was most 
gracious and affectionate to me. He told me he was charmed 
with his daughter-in-law, and hoped I should be great friends 
with her. She was " a good child," he said, " but requires 
educating. I am afraid you will be badly lodged. I cannot 
help it, and can give you only two rooms. You must see 
how you, your husband, and sister, and your suite can 
manage." The Queen arrived as we were in the midst of 
this conversation. She received me kindly, then turning to 
my sister, whom she embraced, said, " You will be very 
happy dear Lottie, you will have a brilliant Com-t, and every 
amusement you can wish for." My mother then told me 
my brother could not bear his wife, and that she was his mfe 
in name alone. In spite of all the trouble that had been taken 
with her, she was more stupid than ever. " She will please 
you on first acquaintance because she has a lovely face, but 
you are not able to look at her longer than a moment." 
Then my mother made fun of the two rooms, in which we 
were all to be lodged. My sister replied it was all very well 
for the King to say that we must manage with those two, but 
that it was an impossibility, and I myself really think nobody 
but my father would have thought of such a plan. The rooms 
that were apportioned us had no exit, and one of them was a 
little boudoir or antechamber. My sister and I now 
endeavoured to arrange things as best we could. We gave 



MARGRAYIXE OF BAIREUTH. 303 

up tlie little room to our two maids, and ^vitli the help of a 
great many screens I converted the other room into a habita- 
tion for six persons. My Groverness, who had been ailing 
for some time, was now attacked vnth a bad sore throat, 
accompanied with high fever. Her condition made me very 
anxions, the more so as I had no one with me. 

I expected the Hereditary Prince the next day but one. 
The Crown Princess, the Dnke and Duchess of Brmiswick, 
as also the Duke and Duchess of Bevern and their son Prince 
Charles were expected on the 22nd of June. The Queen had 
given me a repulsive description of the Duchess of Bruns^^ick. 
She was the mother of the Empress, and as such claimed 
special marks of attention and respect to which she had from 
her personal qualifications no right. She was intensely 
proud, and had insisted on having precedence over the Crown 
Princess. My mother warned me to be on my guard, as 
otherwise I might have endless trouble ^ith the Duchess. 

I was in great perplexity. The King lived like a simple 
nobleman, and would not tolerate ceremony of any kind. He 
treated my sisters simply as daughters of the house, and 
insisted on their receiving his guests and also on giving the 
"pas" to all foreign Princesses that came to Berlin. My 
father hated all disputes about rank. I knew this was a very 
tender point with him, and that I should have many annoy- 
ances in consequence. Yet I also knew that if I once gave 
up any rights I possessed as a King's daughter, I should lose 
them for ever. After due consideration I determined to speak 
^ith the Queen about it. I did so, and she promised me 
her warmest support. 

My mother and my brothers and sisters always wished the 
King good-night every evening and remained mth him till 
he had fallen asleep. Since my marriage I had dispensed 
with that ceremony. As however the King was generally in 
a particularly good humour of an evening, I made up my 
mind to speak mth him then. As soon as he saw me he 



304 



MEMOIRS OF THE 



exclaimed, '' Oh I you are also come to see me?" I answered 
that I had just received a letter from the Hereditary Prince. 
He presented his respects and vra.s anxious to knoT\' if he was 
to come to Berlin or to Potsdam. " I am going to Berlin 
to-morrow : tell him to meet me there, and I will hring him 
hack here with me. I am very much pleased with him," he 
continued, " he has hrought his regiment to the highest state 
of efficiency, and I am sui^e he has worked day and night." 
This heginning gave me com^age, and hy degrees I tui^ned 
the conyersation on the Brunswick family. I asked him what 
I was to do ahout the Duchess, as I knew she would ^-ish to 
take precedence of me. I wished for his advice in the matter, 
I said, as I was always anxious to ohey his orders. The 
King answered, " That is quite ahsurd. She cannot do such 
a thing." *' Indeed she ^dll," the Queen now intenTipted, 
"I had to tell her plainly what I thought, hecause she claimed 
to rank hefore the Crown Princess." " She is a regular old 
fool," the King exclaimed, " hut we must he careful as she 
is mother to the Empress. Tou are not to call on her," my 
father said, turning to me, " till she has fet heen to see you, 
and you are always to go hefore her." I was very thankful 
to have got so well out of this difficulty, and now left the 
King. 

Next day my joy was complete, for at last my hushand 
rejoined me. He told me his uncle, the Prince of Culmhach, 
was soon to arrive at Berlin. The King had invited him ; 
I was dehghted at the prospect of seeing him, and hoped 
his influence with his hrother would tend to make oui^ 
position in a less degree one of slavery. 

The Court of Brunswick arrived on the 24th of June. 
The King and my hrother, with a large suite of generals and 
officers, went to meet the Cro^Ti Princess. The Queen, my 
sisters and I received her at the entrance to the castle. I 
Tvill describe her now as she was when I first saw her, for 
she has terribly altered since then. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 305 

The Princess was tall and not very thin, and held herself 
badly, which gave her a great want of dignity. She had a 
dazzling complexion, pale blue eyes without much mind in 
them, a small mouth, and pretty delicate features. She 
certainly was lovely, and there was a childlike simplicity 
about her such as you would find in a girl of twelve. Her 
teeth, which were bad, spoilt much of her beauty. The 
Princess had neither manners nor education. She expressed 
herself badly, and spoke with difficulty, so that you had to 
guess what she was saying. 

As soon as we had all greeted her, the King led her to the 
Queen's room, but when he had discovered that her hair was 
unpowdered, and that she looked hot and tired, he told my 
brother to take her to her own room. 

My brother presented his wife to me with these words, 
*' This is the sister whom I adore, to whom I owe the deepest 
gratitude. She has promised me to take you under her pro- 
tection, and to help you with her good advice. I wish you 
to show more respect towards her than towards the King and 
Queen, and to do nothing without her approbation : do you 
understand me ? " I embraced the Crown Princess, and 
assured her of my friendship and affection. She remained 
meanwhile stiff and cold as a statue, and never answered a 
word. As her servants had not yet arrived, I powdered her 
hair afresh, and put her dress in order again, but she never 
eTen thanked me. My brother grew very angry at this, and 
said to her, " You Kttle goose, thank my sister for her kind- 
ness ! " Yery little edified with the Princess, I led her back 
to the Queen. 

Both the Duchesses were with my mother. The Duchess 
of Brunswick must have been fifty years old, but had kept 
her looks so wonderfully that she might easily have been 
taken for forty. She was very clever, and a woman of the 
world, but had an unpleasant manner, and it was notorious 
that she was by no means a Lucretia. Her present lover was 

X 



306 MEMOIRS OF THE 



a M. von Stocker. It is inconceivable how a person of sucli 
cleverness could misplace lier affections in sucli a manner. I 
never saw anyone so stupid and so insupportable as this said 
gentleman. The Duke was disagreeable, but he possessed 
many good qualities. His wife's conduct was no secret to 
him, but he tolerated it with patience, and treated her with 
respect and affection. His daughter the Duchess of Bevem 
and I were delighted to meet again. We now sat down to 
dinner, which was laid for forty guests. Afterwards we drank 
coffee in the Queen's rooms. The Crown Princess never left 
my side, but it was impossible to persuade her to say a single 
word. The King gave us all presents, and we spent the rest 
of the evening in playing cards with my mother. 

Next morning at six we all went to the inspection of the 
King's regiment, and returned at noon in time for dinner. 
The King left in the afternoon for Berlin accompanied by 
my brother and the Hereditary Prince. The Queen and we 
Princesses went to Charlottenburg. The Queen, the two 
Duchesses and the old Duke of Brunswick drove in one 
carriage, the Crown Princess, my sister and I in the second. 
The heat was insupportable, while the dust almost smothered 
ns, and the Crown Princess was taken very unwell in conse- 
quence. 

We reached Charlottenburg at eight o'clock in the evening. 
The Crown Princess went to bed, and we all went to supper. 
M. von Eversmann, who had arranged all the rooms, had taken 
•such good care of me, that I had to cross the courtyard before 
I could get to the Queen. I felt this fresh insult very keenly, 
the more so as the foreign ladies had all the best rooms given 
them. The Queen, who had been much kinder to me since 
her return from Brunswick, now recommenced teasing me. 
She spoke most unkindly to me during supper, and treated 
me without the least consideration. 

Next day the Duchess of Brunswick called on me, and 
made endless excuses for not having done so sooner. We 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 307 

all went to the Queen, who told ns that there would be 
only one dinner that day, as we must all retire early to 
rest, to be ready next day for the Crown Prince's entry into 
Berlin. The Queen had sent for a band, and we danced till 
ten that evening. I had vainly flattered myself with the 
hope that my husband would suddenly appear and take us 
by surprise. But the King would not allow it. He was 
obliged to remain alone at Berlin, and although he was always 
accustomed to dine in the evening, the King had had nothing 
prepared for him. He was not able to get even bread and 
cheese. 

This ball was no pleasure to me. I remained a sad spec- 
tator of it, as I was too weak to dance. At nine o'clock the 
Queen took leave of all her royal guests, and after she had 
reached her bedroom asked my sister and myself if we should 
like any supper. I answered that I was not hungry, and 
would with her permission go to bed. "Without replying she 
turned her back on me slirugging her shoulders. "We were 
to start at tliree next morning to attend a review, and having 
to be in full dress, this did not leave us much time for sleej). 
I asked Madame von Konnken to obtain the Queen's per- 
mission for me to retire to my room. She persuaded me to 
stay, as the Queen seemed to wish it. I therefore remained, 
and we four sat down to supper. The Queen did nothing 
else all the time but abuse the Brunswick family and myself. 
There was no word bad enough for the Crown Princess and 
her mother. My sister supported her in everything she said, 
and did not even spare Prince Charles. The supper lasted 
till midnight, and its end was the crowning point of all. 
" We have all lost our heads," my mother suddenly exclaimed 
looking at me, " we have been speaking in the presence of 
suspicious persons, and to-morrow everybody will know all 
we have said. I know the spies by whom I am surrounded, 
and who have combined with my enemies against me. I 
shall however find means of recalling them to a sense of their 

X 2 



308 



MEMOmS OF THE 



duty. G-oocI-rdglit, mj dear," the Queen said, turning to 
me, " be ready at three to-morrow morning, as I have no 
idea of "being kept waiting by jon." I silently left the room. 
All I had been forced to listen to had incensed me beyond 
bearing. I had perfectly yell understood that the Queen had 
meant my little person when she spoke of "spies and 
enemies." 

I returned to my room, where I poured out my troubles 
to my Groyemess and Mademoiselle yon Marwitz. I cried 
bitterly, and wished I coidd say I was too ill to leaye my 
room. The two ladies howeyer found means of comforting 
me, and begged me to appear as usual. It grew late, and I 
had only time to dress and reach the Queen's rooms by three 
o'clock. As I was always allowed free access to them, I was 
greatly surprised at Eamen stopping me at the door. 
" Grood gracious me ! " she said, "your Royal Highness is 
already dressed, the Queen has only just woke, and has not 
yet left her bed. She has forbidden me to let any one in. I 
will send you word as soon she is ready." I waited in the 
gallery, walking up and down with my ladies. Soon after 
the two Duchesses joined me there. The Duchess of Beyern 
looked loyingly at me saying, " You haye had some cause for 
grief, I know, and haye been crying." " Yes I haye," I 
answered, " and I hope those who are the cause of it will be 
satisfied. Death will soon release me from my sufferings, for 
I can scarcely drag myself about, and feel that I haye daily 
less strength. You have influence with Seckendorf and the 
King, for Grod's sake exert it, that I may leave this place, and 
die in peace, at Baireuth." The Duchess of Beyern replied 
that she woidd do her utmost to help me. " Although you 
haye told me nothing of what has occurred," she continued, 
" I am cognisant of it all. I will tell you who told me : it 
was Princess Charlotte." I was extremely surprised at what 
she said. " This daughter-in-law of ours will giye us a good 
.deal of trouble, but my son knows her thoroughly, and will 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 309 

keep lier in order." At this moment the Queen, with my 
sister and the Crown Princess, joined us and put an end to 
our conversation . 

After having embraced the two Duchesses, my mother 
tiu-ned to me with these words, " Your Eoyal Highness has 
slept a long time : I think you might have exerted yourself 
to get up when I did." To this speech I replied, " I have 
been ready dressed since three o'clock, and Eamen knew it, 
and would not allow me to enter your room." " She did 
perfectly right," the Queen continued, "your proper place is 
with the two Duchesses rather than with me." Having said 
this, she turned away, and got into the carriage with the 
Crown Princess. I and my sister drove in a state coach, the 
two Duchesses in another one, and all the Princes accom- 
panied us on horseback. 

It was an hour's drive to the spot where all assembled. 
The heat was unbearable. Some tents had been pitched, each 
large enough to hold six persons. These were intended for 
the Queen, the Princesses and the Ladies of the Court and 
those out of the town. More than eighty ladies followed us 
in very handsome carriages. All had done their utmost to 
add to the brilliancy of the scene. We drove in this order 
do^RTL the line. Twenty-two thousand men were assembled 
in battle array. The King stood at the entrance to the 
Queen's tent, and pushed us all inside it. Some of us had to 
stand, the others sat or lay on the ground. The sun poured 
through the canvas, and we nearly succumbed to the heat. 
No refreshment of any kind had been provided for us. I lay 
down at the back of the tent, the others stood in front of me, 
and shaded me from the rays of the sun. 

We remained in this position from five in the morning till 
three in the afternoon, when we resumed our carriages. We 
drove at a foot's pace, so that we only reached the castle at 
five o'clock, without having had even a drop of water to 
drink all day. We immediately sat down to dinner with all 



310 MEMOIES OF THE 



our guests. The King sat at the head of the tahle, and -^as 
in the hest possible spirits. At nine o'clock we had coffee in 
the Queen's rooms, after which we again got into our 
carriages and accompanied the Crown Princess to her own 
Palace, where we stayed till eleven and then returned home. 

The Queen had desired us all to he ready at eight next 
morning, to accompany the King to the ceremony of the con- 
secration of St. Peter's Church. I was quite unable to be 
present at it, as I had been dangerously ill all night, and was 
so weak and faint that I could not stir. I sent the Queen 
word of my condition, and begged her to excuse me. 'My 
mother sent Eamen to me, to tell me that it was all mere 
imagination on my part, and that she would listen to no 
excuses. I told this woman to assure the Queen that I was 
really very ill and quite unfit to leave my bed. I said I 
should let the King know of it, and felt sure that he would 
not be offended with me if I stayed in my room. I also sent 
Mademoiselle von Grrumkow to my mother. She was a very 
courageous girl, with a very ghb tongue. The Queen was 
afraid of her on account of her uncle, and was very careful 
what she said before her. 

As soon as the Queen saw this yoimg lady she said, *'Grood 
morning, Grrumkow. It seems my daughter is in one of her 
bad humours, and will not leave her room. She wishes to 
give herself airs in my house, whilst I, who am of more 
importance than she is, must be plagued and tormented."' 
Mademoiselle von Grumkow rephed, '" Tour Majesty does 
your daughter great injustice. Her Eoyal Highness has 
been suffering greatly for some time. Her health is much 
weakened and she cannot stand any fatigue. She has been 
very ill all night, and I doubt whether she will be able even 
by to-morrow to pay her respects to your Majesty." " To- 
morrow," the Queen cried angrily, ''I think you must be 
dreaming ! In this world people must learn to control them- 
selves. I desire vou to tell the Princess that I command her 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 311 

to leave her room." *' I crave your Majesty's pardon," 
Mademoiselle von Glrumkow answered, " but I shall not give 
this message. I shall advise the Hereditary Princess to 
return to Baireuth as soon as ever she can. There at least 
she can live in quiet and comfort, without being exposed to 
the ill-treatment she receives here." The Queen was made 
extremely uncomfortable by this straightforward answer, and 
said nothing more. The King had sent to enquire how I 
was, begging me to be careful and rest, in order to be able to 
be present at my sister's wedding. When the Hereditary 
Priace came to dinner my father asked him kindly after me. 
Everybody had told him, he said, that my health had quite 
given way. The Duchess of Bevern corroborated this state- 
ment, and added that if energetic measures were not soon 
taken, she feared I should take my departure for another 
world. The King seemed greatly distressed, whilst the 
Queen plainly showed her vexation that she should have been 
detected in the wrong. I went out next day, and though my 
mother said nothing to me, she was very cross. In the 
evening we went to the theatre. 

The Prince of Culmbach, who at once came to see me on 
his arrival, was very much dissatisfied at his reception by the 
Ej.ng. I did all I could to pacify him. As my father had 
invited him, the Prince had every right to expect to be 
courteously received. I promised him to endeavour to put 
things on a pleasanter footing, but I had reckoned without my 
host. All the Princes and Princesses of the Blood dined 
everyday with the King and Queen without receiving any 
special invitation, and next day the Prince of Culmbach like- 
wise appeared with them. M. von Schlippenbach, who was 
at the head of the King's household, came up to the Prince 
with a very crestfallen face, and told him that the King had 
not wished him to be invited to dinner. M. von Schlippenbach 
was in despair, he said, but thought he had best at once tell 
him. The Prince of Culmbach was naturally mortally 



312 AIEMOIRS OF THE 



ofiended by this treatmentj and at once complained to my 
GroYemess abont it, tel lin g her to inform me of it. I was 
at a loss bow to act when I heard of the occurrence^ fcr 
I was mncb attached to the Prince of Cuhnbach, and any 
discouitesy shown him affected me equally. There was how- 
ever no time for lamentations or complaints, and the poor 
Prince had to leave without having dined. He went to my 
rooms and waited there, where I found him afterwards in a 
great state of anger. The Hereditary Prince was no less so, 
and both he and the Prince of Culmbach wished at once to 
take their departure from Berlin. I happily succeeded in 
dissuading them from such a step, and I promised that my 
•ancle should obtain satisfaction for the affront. Per this 
pui'pose I sent for G-eneral Marwitz, who was then at Berlin, 
and begged him to speak with the Ej.ng. He was able to re- 
monstrate so strongly with my father, that he came himself 
to make his excuses to the Piince for the " unfortunate mis- 
understanding " that had taken place. 

The only amusement offered to the foreign guests was that 
of going to the theatre, where we all fell asleep from the ex- 
treme dulness of the performance. The Duchess of Bevern, 
my husband, Prince Charles and I, always managed to find 
places where neither the IHng nor Queen could observe us, 
and spent the evenings talking together. I had always to 
drive to the theatre with the Duchess of Brunswick, who 
would not chive with the Queen in order not to be obliged to 
let the Crown Piincess take precedence of her. "When she 
drove with me she always managed to reach the carnage 
first, into which she scrambled in a gi^eat hiuTy to seat her- 
self on the right hand side. I am not proud, nor do I care 
about questions of rank, but I do rec|uire that the respect 
that is due to me be sho^m me, and if others are inclined to 
tread on my toes, I am well able to assert myself. For the 
first few times I had let the Duchess have her own way, and 
did not remonstrate with her. At last, however, I watched my 



MAIlGRAVI^-E OF BAIHEUTH. 313 

opportunity, stepped in front of her, and took the right hand 
seat in the carriage. She grew scarlet with rage, and had 
some trouble to control herself, and I believe she would 
have scratched my eyes out. Her face was swollen and dis- 
figured with rage. After a few moments she said to me, " I 
am not in my right place, but that troubles me but little." 
"lam quite of your Serene Highness' opinion," I replied, 
" I think there is nothing more absurd than claiming rights 
which do not belong to you, and I think still more so, not to 
insist on those which are yours by right." Having said this 
I seized hold of my head-dress and held it with both hands, 
fearing every moment that the Duchess would tear it off. 
Happily we reached our destination before she could do so, 
and she got out of the carriage still grumbling. 

When I saw my mother I told her the whole story, at 
which she was so greatly amused that she forgot to scold me. 
Indeed she highly approved of my conduct. She said she 
hoped to have an opportunity that evening of teasing the 
Duchess about her behaviour. Everybody hated the Duchess 
on account of her inordinate pride. She was so fearful lest 
any of the ladies that came to see her should sit down in her 
presence, that she had all the chairs removed. Such a thing 
was never done even by the Queen, who always allowed the 
ladies to sit down in her ante- chamber. The ladies of the 
Court and of the town were so offended by the Duchess's 
behaviour that none of them would go near her. She made 
an even more ridiculous exhibition of herself on the following 
occasion. 

We were all at the theatre. The stage had been erected 
in the former riding-school, and there were only two entrances 
to it. That through which we passed led through the stables 
into a narrow little passage, where we were obliged to walk 
in single file. The King stood at the door, so that we all 
had to pass him. I always went and sat down, as I have 
before mentioned, in an out-of-the-way corner. The play 



314 MEMOIRS OF THE 



had scarcely begmi wlieii a violent tliunderstonn came on. 
The lightning was so vivid that the stage seemed on fire, 
tremendous peals of thunder followed, and everyone was 
afraid the theatre would be destroyed. All at once we heard 
fearful screams, and the King was told that the lightning 
had struck the stables. My father, who was next to the door, 
at once left the theatre accompanied by the Queen and the 
Crown Princess. They had no sooner left than everybody 
hurried to get out, and there was such a crowd that neither 
the Duchess of Bevern, Prince Charles, nor my husband and 
I could get away. The old Duchess of Brunswick made 
frantic efforts to save herself. In the hopes that the people 
would disperse we waited for some time, but finding this was 
of no use, and really fearing for our lives, we determined to 
make a great effort to get out of the theatre. The Hereditary 
Prince and Prince Charles made way for us with difficulty. 
It was pouring in torrents. I at once got into the carriage 
with the Duchess of Bevern and my three sisters. The 
Duchess of Brunswick, who had at last got out of the theatre 
with the aid of her dear M. von Stocken and the two Princes 
followed us. As she got into her carriage with her husband, 
the two Princes followed her into it, upon which she had the 
insolence to tell them they could walk home. They were 
still young, she said, and the rain would not hurt them. M. 
von Stocken must drive with her. The two Princes never 
forgave her for this, and turned her into great ridicule, at 
which the crowd were greatly amused. Although Prince 
Charles was the Duchess' grandson, he did not spare her 
any more than did my husband. 

I have already mentioned that the King had not for some 
time been well, and that the doctors thought him suffering 
from suppressed gout. We were therefore greatly relieved 
when he was now seized with an attack of gout in the right 
hand. He suffered very much, but we were all thankful that 
the disease had taken this course. 



MARGKAYINE OF BAIREUTH. 315 

The next day, tlie 2nd June, was fixed for my sister's 
wedding. We all went to the King's rooms to be present at 
the ceremony of renunciation, after which we went to dinner. 
The King had gone to bed, and sent for my mother, my 
sister and myself. He told us to sit down near him. My 
sister was very sad, for the Queen had confided to her how 
terribly annoyed she was at the destruction of all her fondest 
hopes. " Dear Charlotte," she said to her, "my heart bleeds 
when I think that you are to be sacrificed to-morrow. I have 
kept my secret from all the world, but I had tried by every 
means in my power, and had flattered myself to the last that 
I should be able to bring about your marriage with the 
Prince of Wales. I am miserable : my enemies have every- 
where triumphed over me. You are going to marry a beggar, 
and a man without any common sense." This conversation 
was repeated to me by my youngest sister. 

The Queen's ambitious views now made my sister regret 
that things had not turned out as my mother had wished. 
The King, who was kept informed of everything that passed 
in the Queen's room by his spy Eamen, was well aware of 
this conversation. " What is the matter with you, Lotte ? " 
he said, addressing my sister. " Are you unhappy at going 
to be married ? " " It is but natural that I should be in a 
serious mood on my wedding day," she replied, " and that I 
should consider how serious a step I am taking, and make 
reflections on what concerns my whole future life." The 
King laughed, and answered, " Your lady mother has given 
you matter for consideration. She ruins her children's 
happiness by the incessant chimseras she puts into their 
heads. You can comfort yourself with the assurance that 
you would never have gone to England. Nobody wished 
for you there, and no step was ever taken by that Court in 
the matter. I should have been well satisfied had you settled 
there, but they would not make their peace with me. The 
English Court takes every opportunity of annoying me 



316 MEMOIES OF THE 



whenever tliey liave an occasion. That yonr marriage came 
to nothing," my father continued, turning to me, " was my 
fault, and I have never ceased reproaching myself about it, 
but then I was deceived by my Ministers. Will you forgive 
me ? I have given you much cause for sorrow, and those 
v^'ho urged me on have been wicked people. Had I only 
done what I ought, I should have dismissed Grrumkow at the 
time of Hotham's mission. But I was then like one be- 
witched, and I am more to be pitied than condemned." I 
replied that I begged my father would not reproach himself, 
as I was Cjuite satisfied with my lot. I had a husband whom 
I loved devotedly, and as for the rest I put my tiTist in Gfod. 

My father was much pleased "^ith my answer, and embraced 
me, saying, " You are a brave good woman, and Grod wiU 
Hess you." 'We then left the King and went to dress. The 
Queen desired me to be ready at eight o'clock and join her 
in the large State-rooms of the castle. 

TThen I got there I found every one assembled. I was 
led to a room set apart for the royal personages. Here I 
found waiting the Crown Princess, my younger sisters, and 
the Princesses of the Blood. TTe were soon afterwards joined 
by the two Duchesses, and then the Queen appeared with the 
bride. Prince Charles gave my sister his hand and led her 
into the room in which the marriage service was solemnized. 
We all followed according to rank. The King sat opposite 
the altar. The whole ceremonial was exactly the same as 
that which had been observed at my own mamage. At two 
in the morning we all retired to our rooms. Xext day was 
my birthday. All the Princes and Princesses came early in 
the morning to offer me their congratulations. All brought 
me presents, T\ith the exception of the Queen. We all after- 
wards went to see my sister, and then the King, whose 
attack of gout obliged him to keep his bed. As soon as my 
father saw me, he wl>hel me joy of the day and every bless- 
ing, and then desired the Queen to find a present for me. 




MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 317 

" She is to choose it herself," he said, " I will pay for it, 
and you must also give her one." That afternoon the Queen 
sent for several jewellers, and told me to choose what I liked 
from among their goods. Amongst the things brought for 
approval was a little watch in jasper set with brilliants, which 
cost 400 thalers,* and on this I fixed my choice. My mother 
having looked at the watch for some little time, said to me 
in a contemptuous manner, " Does your Royal Highness 
imagine that the King will give you so costly a present? 
You have not even bread to eat, and you Tvish for watches ! 
A small present will do quite as well for you." Upon this 
she sent all the things away, merely keeping a small ring 
worth ten thalers,t which she gave me. My mother however 
told the King that all the other articles had been far too 
expensive, and that she had not liked to take anything. Her 
behaviour towards me wounded me far more than the loss of 
my bu'thday present. I however armed myself with patience. 
The hope of soon being home again at Baireuth helped me 
to bear my many mortifications. 

Next evening there was a ball. As so many people had 
been invited, dancing took place in four different rooms, where 
several quadrilles were arranged. My newly married sister 
led one of these, in which my mother, the Crown Princess, 
my sisters and I danced. The second quadrille was led by 
the Margravine Philip, the third by the Princess of Zerbst, 
and a f om-th by Madame von Brand. The ball began at four 
o'clock in the afternoon. The candles were all lighted, and 
the heat was insupportable. Two more such balls took place, 
at which everybody nearly died of heat and fatigue. 

I was very ill. The complaint I was suffering from made 
great progress, and I was so weak that I could scarcely walk. 
The Hereditary Prince was in great anxiety about me, and 
much distressed at having to leave me again. He departed 

* £60. t 30s. 



318 MEMOIES OF THE 



on tlie 9tli of J11I7 to rejoin his regiment, the inspection of 
which -^as to take place on the 5th August. The weather 
was splendid, and I proposed to the Crown Princess that we 
should go out driving. The carriage in which we drove was 
called a " Wurst." There was room in it for twelve persons, 
which was very convenient, as we had the enjoyment of the 
drive and of conversation at the same time. On our return 
home I dined with the Crown Princess, and we spent the 
evening most pleasantly. 

Next day we all went out driving in State, beautifully 
dressed. "We drove in phaetons, and the whole Court and 
nobility followed, there being in all eighty carriages. The 
Elng drove in front in a " Berline,"* and soon fell asleep. 
We were overtaken by a heavy thunder-storm, but continued 
the drive notvdthstanding. It is easy to imagine the result, 
and the state to which we were reduced ! We were drenched 
to the skin, and our dresses quite ruined. At last, after 
driving for four hours in the poui^ing rain, we got out at 
!M]onbijou, where a ball and illuminations were to take place. 
I never saw such funny figures as all the ladies looked. They 
were so wet that their dresses clung to them. Xone of us 
could even change our things, but had to remain in our wet 
clothes all the rest of the day. Next day there was a repre- 
sentation at the theatre. 

I had written to Baireuth begging the Margrave to arrange 
for our return home. His letter, which I awaited with great 
impatience, at last reached me. It was worded in such a 
manner that I was able to show it to the King. He had also 
had one from my father-in-law, written in much the same 
strain as mine, and I flattered myself that no difficulties 
would be placed in our way. When I went to see my 
mother, I found the King and the Duchess of Bevem with 
her. *' I have received a letter from your father-in-law," the 



* A four-seated close caiTiac;e. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 319 

King said to me. " He wishes for your return to Bairenth, 
and will increase your income by 8,000 thalers.* This 
would enable you and your husband to live at Erlangen, 
but I think this will be unnecessary, as I count on your 
remaining here. What answer do you wish me to send the 
Margrave ? " I replied that I should be very glad to remain 
at Berlin, but that my father-in-law was failing fast, and I 
therefore thought it would be right that we should return to 
Baireuth, and that the Hereditary Prince should become 
acquainted with his own country. The King frowned and 
then answered, " You wish to keep house yourself." " It 
will be impossible to do so with only 8,000 thalers," I said, 
" and I could not manage it on less than double that sum." 
*' If I can obtain that amount for you," the King continued, 
" I will let you leave, if not, you must remain here." The 
Duchess of Bevern now interrupted us, and taking part in 
the conversation, remarked that I was in such bad health 
that it would be easier for me to take care of myself at 
Baiteuth than at Berlin. She then explained to my father 
the nature of my complaint (the doctors thought I had the 
beginning of an internal tumour), and told him I had been 
recommended to take a course of mineral waters. '' She can 
do that at Charlottenburg," my father answered, " and if she 
likes I will provide everything for her, and she will be much 
more comfortable than at Baireuth." Neither the Duchess 
nor I dared say anything more, and I was in perfect despair 
at finding the moment of my departure farther off than I had 
thought. 

The Dukes and Duchesses all left Berlin next day, and my 
sister followed them on the 19th July. My leave-taking 
from my sister was no melancholy one, but my mother on 
the other hand was greatly distressed. The Queen really 
had a good heart, but her jealousy, her suspicion of every 

* £1,200. 



320 MEMOIRS OF THE 



one, and lier love of intrigue were the cause of most of her 
troubles. 

My sister had no sooner left than the Queen became much 
kinder in her manner towards me. I tried everything in my 
power to win her affection, and although I did not entirely 
succeed, I at any rate obtained kind treatment at her hands. 
I had informed the Margrave of my conversation with the 
King, and entreated him to insist on our return, as otherwise 
we should never obtain my father's permission to quit Berlin. 
The same day that my sister took her departure the King left for 
Pomerania. He was in raptures over my husband's regiment, 
and said he had never seen a finer or better disciplined set of 
men. My father returned on the 8th August, bringing the 
Hereditary Prince with him. I implored my brother's help 
to get us leave to return to Baireuth. He determined to 
speak next day with Grrumkow and Seckendorf about it. 
The King was going to drive with them, and my brother 
said he would arrange that the matter should be brought 
before my father. As good luck would have it, I received 
letters from the Margrave that very morning, enclosing one 
to the King, which I gave him after dinner. He was in a 
very good humour, and had drunk a little, but his face 
changed at once as soon as he saw the letter. He said 
nothing at first, but after a while turned to me, remarking, 
" Your father-in-law does not know what he wants. You 
are far better here than with him. My son-in-law must 
study the art of war, which is far more useful than planting- 
cabbages at Baireuth." 

Grrumkow and Seckendorf represented to the King that he 
would be the cause of bad feehng between the Margrave 
and ourselves if he prevented om^ return ; that although my 
father-in-law had one foot in the grave, he might take it 
into his head to re-marry, a step which would have very 
disastrous results for us. Indeed everybody supported my 
husband and myself in our wish to go back to Baii-euth. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREIJTH. 321 

The King looked at me, and asked me what I thought about 
it. I replied that the gentlemen were quite right in what 
they said, and that I should count it a great favour if he 
would allow us to take our departure. "Yery well, then," 
my father answered, *^ you can go, but there is no great 
hurry, and I should not wish you to leave till the 23rd 
August." I never was happier in my life than when I had 
at last obtained the King's leave and felt certain of our 
return. 

The last fortnight I spent at Berlin passed very quietly. 
The Queen, who had now grown accustomed to have me 
about her, was very sorry at my departure. She told me 
that Grrumkow had been the cause of her having treated me 
so unkindly. He had represented to her that my timidity 
alone had been the cause of the breach with England. That 
my father's anxiety to marry me to the Hereditary Prince 
had been a mere pretence. That had I shown more determi- 
nation on that memorable occasion, when the King had sent 
all those gentlemen to speak with me, things would have 
turned out differently. She said I might therefore consider 
whether she had not had good cause of annoyance with me. 
Upon this I disclosed to my mother Grrumkow's perfidious 
behaviour and double-dealing. 

The day before I left for Baireuth, the King came to take 
leave of me. He did not, however, show much feehng or 
regret. It was the last time that I ever saw my dear father, 
whose memory will always remain precious to me. I took a 
most touching leave of my brother ; my mother also dis- 
solved into tears, and I left my old home in great distress. 

I dined at Sarmiind, and after a very bad dinner con- 
tinued my journey. The coachman was again kind enough 
to upset the carriage twice, and I was a good deal bruised, 
but nevertheless proceeded on my way. Next day we 
reached Halle, where I was received in State. A deputation 
from the University met me, and presented an address. M. 

Y 



322 MEMOIRS OF THE 



von "Wackholz, wlio was in command there during the Prince 
of Anhalt's absence, furnished me with an escort, and asked 
me to give him the pass- word. At Halle I found Princess 
Radziwill, sister of the Margravine Philip. She had come 
there on purpose to see me. I knew her very well, she was 
most charming, and full of wit and cleverness. 

Next morning I left Halle and reached Hof on the 30th 
of August. M. von Yoit, who had met me at Schleiz, 
informed me that the Margrave was at Hof, expecting our 
arrival with the greatest pleasure and impatience. My father- 
in-law met me close to the entrance to the town, accompanied 
'by a suite in thirty carriages. I stopped my carriage and 
got out, as I observed he did the same. He received me 
most courteously, and was very affectionate in his manner 
towards the Hereditary Prince. We then resumed our way, 
my father-in-law driving with us. He thought me grown 
very thin and much altered. He told me he had now got a 
very celebrated doctor at Baireuth, and hoped he would be 
able to cure me. We spent one day at Hof, and reached 
Baireuth on the 7th September. Mademoiselle von Sonns- 
feld was delighted to see me again. I found my little 
daughter so grown and improved that I should scarcely have 
known her again. She had been taught many funny little 
tricks, and I can say with truth I never saw a more beautiful 
child. 

Early next morning my father-in-law sent his doctor to 
see me. I told him what the doctors at Berlin had said, and 
showed him their written opinion. Thinking my delicate 
state of health proceeded from a disordered digestion and 
heated blood, he proposed to bleed me next day, and 
promised me speedy recovery. Accordingly next morning 
the doctor took ten ounces of blood from me, which weak- 
ened me so much that I was unable to leave my room for 
several days. Mademoiselle von Marwitz read aloud to me 
of an afternoon, and the Margrave came every evening to 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 323 

see me. My father-in-law was full of little attentions for 
me, wHcli I owed to the kind influence of Mademoiselle von 
Sonnsfeld, who had gained wonderful power over him. To 
add to my comfort my father-in-law went away to Himmels- 
cron. On leaving he said to me he did so purposely to leave 
me quiet, and to give me a better chance of recovering my 
health. He knew that if he remained at Baireuth I should 
have to exert myself more than was good for me, and he 
trusted to find me much stronger on his return. His kind- 
ness and attention touched me very much, and I determined 
to do everything I could to prevent this satisfactory under- 
standing being disturbed. My sister of Anspach came and 
spent a few days with me, and I gradually began to improve 
under the peace and quiet I now enjoyed. Alas ! a new 
occurrence was soon to plunge me into fresh anxiety. I 
must now give a full account of it. 

I have already mentioned the King of Poland's sudden 
death. It led to the formation of two parties in the 
country, the one holding firmly to the elector of Saxony 
and protected by the Emperor of Eussia, while the other 
favoured the claims of Stanislaus,* and was supported by 
France. The Emperor of Austria's policy, which was 
always opposed to that of France, and that of the King of 
Prussia, who himself cared very little for so powerful a 

* Stanislaus Leszczynski, a Pole by birth, placed on the throne of Poland 
through the influence of Charles XII. of Sweden. After the Battle of 
Pultawa he could no longer maintain himself on the throne. He fled to 
Pomerania and then to Sweden, where he remained some time. After 
Augustus II., King of Poland's death, a party in Poland, supported by 
France, again proclaimed him King. Stanislaus proceeded to Warsaw and 
then to Dantzic. This town was invested by the Russians, and Stanislaus 
escaped disguised as a peasant. After the treaty of Vienna in 1735 
Stanislaus renounced the throne, but was allowed to retain the title of 
King. He possessed the Duchies of Lorraine and Bar for life, and on his 
death they fell back to France. He died in 1766, regretted by all his 
subjects. His daughter was married to Louis XV. of France. — 

Note by Translator. 

Y 2 



324 MEMOIRS OF THE 



neighbour, naturally opposed the election of Stanislaus. 
Eussia did so as strongly, for she was "bound by intimate ties 
to the Emperor of Austria and the Elector of Saxony. In 
spite of this combined opposition the French party triumphed, 
and Stanislaus Leszczynski was chosen Ej.ng of Poland. 
Eussia was mortally offended at this proceeding, and sent 
troops to Poland, and Dantzic was invested by them. Every- 
thing tended towards a rupture between Austria and France. 
French troops were sent to the Ehine and to Italy. My 
father was bound by the articles of the secret treaty made 
between him and the Emperor to send him a contingent 
of 10,000 men. Private letters from Berlin informed me 
that the King was himself preparing to take the field, and 
relied on my husband's accompanying him. 

It was this that caused me such anxiety. I was so 
accustomed to trouble and sorrow, that any fresh event 
alarmed me. My grief had almost made me sink into a 
confirmed state of melancholy. All I had gone through 
and suffered during my stay at Berlin had made it very 
difiicult for me to regain my accustomed cheerfulness. My 
health did not improve, and all thought I was in a rapid 
consumption. I thought myself doomed, and awaited my 
death with courage. The only thing which diverted my 
mind was the study of the sciences. I wrote and I read all 
day long, and discussed scientific subjects with Mademoiselle 
von Marmtz. I did so in order to make her reflect on what 
she read, and to develop her mind. This girl was entirely 
devoted to me, and I was extremely fond of her. She had 
become much more serious, and tried to give me pleasure and 
satisfaction in every way she coidd. 

The Imperial troops were being gradually concentrated, 
and the Duke of Bevem was appointed to command them. 
The Hereditary Prince was burning to take part in the 
campaign, which could not last long, as the season was so far 
advanced. The Margrave, however, made no secret of how 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIRETJTH. 325 

greatly he was opposed to the Prince's wishes. My husband 
only obtained permission to visit the Army in the neighbour- 
hood of Heilbron. He left for this place on the 30th 
September, and returned again on the 1st November. 

The Princess of Culmbach, daughter of the Margrave 
Greorge William, came to visit us during this time. Her 
story is so curious that it deserves a place in these memoirs. 

She was educated by her aunt the Queen of Poland till 
she reached her twelfth year. After which, her mother, 
whom I described on my visit to Erlangen, thought it no 
longer necessary to leave her at Dresden, and sent for her 
back to Baireuth. The young Princess was very beautiful, 
and could well bear comparison with her mother. My father- 
in-law, who, in consequence of Margrave Greorge William 
having no children, was the probable heir, was among her 
suitors. He was at that time already divorced from his first 
wife. The Margravine, however, could not bear him, and 
her daughter shared her dislike. The young Princess' beauty 
and purity of mind made her mother furiously jealous, 
and she determined, if possible, to ruin her. The Mar- 
gravine's husband was much in favour of the Princess' 
marriage to the Prince of Culmbach. In order to make this 
impossible, the Margravine endeavoured to get a certain 
Yobser, chamberlain to her husband, to seduce the young 
Princess. She promised him four thousand ducats, if he 
succeeded. Yobser, tempted by the prospects of so large a 
sum, was nothing loth. He paid assiduous court to the 
Princess, but earned only contempt at her hands. The 
Margravine, finding her plan had failed, now conceived a 
more diabolical scheme. The unfortunate Princess fell into 
the trap, and gave birth some time later to an illegitimate 
child. The Margrave was so furious when he heard of it, 
that he had the Princess imprisoned in the fortress of Plas- 
senburg. 

When my father-in-law succeeded to the Principality on 



326 MEMOIRS OF THE 



the death of the Margrave, he endeavoured to restore the 
poor Princess to freedom, but the Queen of Poland would not 
hear of it. The Princess was, nevertheless, no longer so 
strictly guarded and watched. Some Eoman Catholic priests 
loj this means gained admittance to the fortress. They 
pursuaded the Princess thataf she would only recant and go 
over to the Eoman Church, she would gain the powerful 
protection of the Empress Amelie, and be set at liberty. 
Blinded by these fair promises, she secretly became a Eoman 
Catholic, and on the death of the Empress publicly announced 
her change of faith. Before long, however, religious doubts 
assailed her, and shortly before my return to Baireuth she 
again returned to Protestantism. My father-in-law, who was 
anxious to show his zeal for the Protestant cause, invited the 
Princess to Baireuth, received her with every mark of respect, 
and reinstated her in the good opinion of the world. She 
did indeed deserve it, for she was endowed with many great 
qualities. She was always Jdoing good, and her behavioui' 
at all times more than atoned for the fault she had been forced 
to commit. The Princess made a very short stay at Baireuth, 
and returned to Culmbach after a few days. My health 
prevented my accompanying her, as I otherwise should have. 
She, however, met the Margrave, and the Hereditary Prince, 
who were hunting in that neighboui'hood. 

I have in these memoirs made a point of mentioning every 
fact that concerns myself, and like telling little anecdotes to 
enliven my narrative. I shall therefore give one here, which 
made a greater impression on many people than on myself, 
because much study and reflection have made me overcome 
many prejudices. Indeed I flatter myself I am somewhat of 
a philosopher. 

The Hereditary Prince's suite of apartments was composed 
of two large rooms with a small ante-chamber attached to 
them. There were two doors, one communicating with my 
bedi^oom, and the other with a vestibule or hall, where 



MAUGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 327 

two sentinels and one footman kept watch. On the Ttti 
November, the three men were suddenly awakened in the 
night by hearing steps in the large room, and soon afterwards 
a whining noise, to which succeeded cries as of someone in 
great distress. They went several times into the room, but 
without discovering anything, and as soon as they had left the 
noise re-commenced. Six sentinels, who relieved one another 
in succession, gave the same account. On M. von. Reitzen- 
stein's being informed of the occurrence, strict search was 
made, but without any result. The incident was kept a pro- 
found secret from me. People pretended it had been the 
" AVhite Lady "* who had appeared as a warning of my 
approaching death. Others feared some accident would bef al 
the Hereditary Prince. This fear was, however, soon put to 
rest by his return with the Margrave on the 11th November. 

They had scarcely reached home when a messenger brought 
the news of the death of my brother-in-law. Prince William. 
Strange to stay, he had died at the very hour at which the 
strange noise had been heard in the castle. Prince William 
had left Vienna with his uncle, the Prince of Culmbach, to 
rejoin his regiment at Cremona. Soon after his arrival there 
he had caught small-pox, and died in seven days. It was a 
relief to the whole family, for he was almost imbecile, and 
had he lived longer, would have caused much trouble. 

The Margrave received the news with great equanimity, 
and never shed a tear. My husband, on the other hand, 
was not to be comforted, so that I had the greatest trouble in 
diverting his mind. The Prince of Culmbach found means 
of sending Prince William's body secretly to Baireuth. We 
all went to Himmelscron to avoid being present at the 
funeral. The Prince was to be interred in the family vault 
in the church of St. Peter. The vault had always been kept 



* A white figure, who was said to appear in several of the royal houses of 
Germany before a death took place in the family. 



328 IMEMOITIS OP THE 



"tailed up, and had to be opened some days before the 
funeral. The astonishment of those who entered the vanlt 
can be easily imagined, when it was discovered to be full of 
blood. The whole town came to see the extraordinary sight, 
and most unpleasant rumours were circulated. I was told of 
this at Himmelscron, and some one brought me a handhei- 
chief which had been dipped in this miraculous blood. The 
Margrave had heard nothing of all this, as people were 
afraid of frightening him. I, however, was of opinion that 
he should be told, and implored him to send his own doctor, AT. 
Grackel, to enquire into the facts of this singular occuiTence. 

My father-in-law granted my request, and begged me to 
see that a thorouo-h investio^ation was made. He was well 
aware of the panic the whole circumstance must have created. 
Grackel reported that the blood had so filled the vault that he 
had had some carried away in buckets to be examined. He 
thought it proceeded from a crtick in the coffin of a Princess 
that had been buried eighty years ago ! To make cjuite sm^e 
he thought it would be best to open the coffin. The Mar- 
grave agreed to this, and the necessary order was given. It 
was, however, found that it was impossible to execute it. 
After some fiu^ther inquiries, a chemist in the town put 
an end to the various suppositions. The supposed blood was 
discovered to be balsam, which had been used for embalming 
the said Princess. The whole ciiTumstance was considered 
very strange. Prince William was buried on the 3rd 
December. Mademoiselle von Grumkow and Mademoiselle 
von Marwitz attended the fimeral. and returned to Himmels- 
cron after it. 

Xext day, when Mademoiselle von Marwitz and I were 
sitting alone together, I observed how silent and absent she 
seemed to be, and asked her the cause. She sighed, and 
answered that she was very sad, but was not allowed to 
say why. Her reply made me very curious, and I pressed 
her to tell me the reason of her dejection. " I wish to God 



[MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 329 

I might tell you," Mademoiselle von Marwitz said. " I have 
a far greater wish to speak than your Royal Highness has to 
hear, but I have sworn a terrible oath to keep silent. All I 
may say is that it concerns you." Her whole manner and 
tone alarmed me. I could not in the least make out what 
she could possibly mean. I tried to get at the truth by 
cross- questioning her, but at every fresh question I put she 
shook her head. At last she said it had to do with the 
Margrave. " Do you mean to say that he intends to marry ? " 
I exclaimed. She made a sign in the affirmative. " But with 
whom ? " I asked, " and how comes it that you are the 
first to hear of it ? Without telling me in so many words 
what and who it is, you can tell me by signs." Mademoiselle 
von Marwitz jumped up from her chair, ran across the room, 
seized a pencil, and wrote at some length on the wall, after 
which she left me. I had already become very uncom- 
fortable, but v/hen I read the words she had written, I was 
petrified. 

" I went this morning to see my Aunt Flora," (that was 
the Christian name of Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld's sister, 
and I shall for the future always call her by it in these 
memoirs). " I found her very busy, and very silent. I 
asked her what was the matter, to which she replied that 
she had many things on her mind, which would, if I knew 
them, greatly surprise me. On my entreating her to explain 
what she meant, she answered that she would confide her 
secret to me on condition of my swearing not to divulge it. 
I gave her the required promise. My Aunt Flora now told 
me that ever since we had left for Berlin, the Margrave had 
begun to pay her marked attention : that he had become so 
attached to her that he was determined to marry her. He 
intended raising her to the rank of a Countess in the Empire 
(Eeichsgrafin) , so that after her marriage she might be on 
an equality with other Princesses. In this case, he would 
leave Baireuth for good and establish himself entirely at 



330 MEMOIRS OF THE 



Himmelscron. He would settle a large dowry on her, and 
some place out of the Principality, so that she should he safe 
from any possible unpleasantness that might arise through 
the Hereditary Prince. The Margrave had only waited till 
his son's funeral was over, to inform your Poyal Highness 
of his intentions himself. I told my aunt that neither your 
Eoyal Highness nor the Hereditary Prince would ever con- 
sent to this marriage, and that the King would support you 
in your opposition to it ; that her sister, your Groverness, 
would have to leave the Court, that she would he miserable 
for ever afterwards, and that I could not beheve she could 
place any reliance in such phantasms. 

" ' These are no phantasms,' my aunt replied ; ' I cannot 
see why I should not accept the happiness offered me. What 
wrong am I doing the Hereditary Princess or her husband ? 
If the Margrave does not marry me he will marry someone 
else, and after all he need ask for no one's consent.' ' But 
if you have children ? ' I continued . . . . ' If I have children 
I shall die, but I shall have none ; I am too old for that.' 
* Take care what you are about, and do not treat this matter 
lightly, for it may have terrible consequences for you,' I 
answered. * Pah ! ' cried my aunt, ' you are young, and 
are alarmed without any cause. I am sorry now that I have 
told you anything aboutit. At least be good enough to keep 
my secret. I must now go to Himmelscron, where I shall 
fiud my sister, who knows nothing, and to whom I must 
break the news.' " 

I never was more surprised at anything in my life, and 
endless thoughts crossed my mind. The time was, however, 
short : Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld was to come next day, 
as well as the Margrave, who would probably tell me the 
whole of this beautiful story. I rubbed out what Made- 
moiselle von Marwitz had written on the wall, and then sent 
for my husband, to whom I told the fatal secret. We were 
both, so to speak, on the rack, and did not Iniow what to do. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 331 

I was so upset and so totally unable to regain my com- 
posure, that I excused myself from appearing at dinner on the 
plea of indisposition. Neither my husband nor I could sleep 
all night, but kept walking up and down our room. The 
matter was far too serious in every aspect. First of all, it 
was no honour to have a stepmother of inferior rank ; secondly, 
such a stepmother might do us and the country endless harm, 
and bring about fresh misunderstandings between the Margrave 
and ourselves ; thirdly, my Groverness, whom I loved almost 
as if she were my mother, and who was devoted to me, 
^ ould, as well as Flora von Sonnsfeld, be obliged to leave 
me. They would be miserably unhappy, as the King would 
be sure to send for them to Berlin and imprison them. And 
then, fomthly, the whole circumstance would do me harm in 
the eyes of the world, as people would naturally think I had 
been deceived. No one would for a moment believe that my 
Groverness and her sister had not both agreed to befool me. 
All this made me quite ill, and though I did all I could to 
preserve my composure outwardly, " Aunt Flora" could not 
help observing next day that I was mortally wounded. She 
induced the Margrave not to speak with me for the present, 
saying she did not consider the moment propitious. She 
reproached Mademoiselle von Marwitz bitterly for having 
spoken to me, but the latter was able to pacify her, and 
obtain her confidence anew. 

Flora enjoyed talking of her future high position. " As 
stepmother, I shall be able to claim precedence of her Royal 
Highness, and the Margrave has promised to obtain that 
right for me. All the same, I shall never forget the respect 
due to the Hereditary Princess, and shall try to be of what 
use I can to her. I shall wait for a little while longer before 
I tell her everything, and the Margrave intends doing the 
same. We shall try and flatter her, in order to win her 
consent to our wishes." 

Mademoiselle von Marwitz told me all this. After much 



332 MEMOIRS OF THE 



reflection I determined to tell my Governess all about it, 
but in order to shield Mademoiselle von Marwitz, I gave 
out that an anonymous note had informed me of the 
matter. Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld was ferocious when I 
told her, and declared it was a malicious invention of her 
enemies to ruin her and her family. However, when I gave 
her proofs of all I had said, she grew calmer. I called her 
attention to the constant visits the Margrave paid her sister, 
and to his marked attentions to her. My Groverness raised 
her hands to heaven with sobs and tears. She was so 
angry that she at first wanted to demand an interview 
with the Margrave. Then she thought of resigning and 
taking her sister away with her. However, this did not 
suit my views, and I persuaded her vre could put an end 
to this intrigue only by using gentle remonstrances. She at 
last gave way to my wishes. Plora came again several times 
to Himmelscron, where Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld could 
not resist teasing her about her long and frequent interviews 
with the Margrave. 

We returned to Baireuth on the 20th December. Made- 
moiselle von Sonnsfeld could now no longer keep silent, and 
treated her sister pitilessly, and told her I was fully aware of 
all her intrigues. Flora was not clever, and as she had been 
educated by her sister, was in great awe of her. She there- 
fore made a full confession to Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld. 
She even showed her the Margrave's letters, in which he 
promised to make ample provision for her in case of his 
death. The letters were all written in most flattering terms. 
As soon as my Groverness had read these, she told Flora 
to accompany her to my room and show me them, and 
then to write to the Margrave in my presence breaking 
oif the engagement. If she refused to do this, she would 
at once act alone, and Avould assuredly find other means by 
which to remove her from Baireuth. The firm manner in 
which Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld spoke to her frightened 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 333 

Flora. She therefore came to me and told me all the cir- 
cumstances. She tried to make me believe that she had 
never meant to accept the Margrave's offer. I appeared as if I 
believed this, and spoke kindly and gently to her, yet making 
her clearly understand that I would never consent to the 
marriage. My husband promised to provide for her, at 
the same time repeating what I had said. " You can never 
be Princess," I said to her, " the Emperor alone could raise 
you to that rank, and he has far too much consideration for the 
King to do anything which would displease him. You 
therefore see that the whole thing is impossible." Flora 
promised me to write to the Margrave, that he must once 
for all give up his intention. As she could, however, 
from her great influence with him, be of considerable use 
to us, she determined to approach him carefully, in order 
to prevent any serious rupture between them. She kept 
her word, and there was happily an end to this unpleasant 
business. 

Mademoiselle Flora von Sonnsfeld is only five feet in 
height, very stout, and lame. In her youth she is said to 
have been a great beauty, but the chicken-pox had so dis- 
figured her, that she could no longer lay claim to it. In 
spite of this, however, her face is attractive, and her eyes 
are so full of cleverness that they mislead you. Her head 
being too large for her body gives her the appearance of a 
dwarf, but the rest of her figure presents nothing remarkable. 
She has grace and dignity, and her manners denote that she 
has lived in the world. She has an excellent heart, and is 
gentle and anxious to be of use to others. In a word, there 
is nothing to find fault with in her character. Her conduct 
was always irreproachable, but heaven had not endowed her 
with consistency. A certain amount of knowledge of the 
world enabled her to hide this fault, which became apparent 
only on intimate acquaintance. The advantages offered her 
b}^ the Margrave had dazzled ]ier, ambition and selfishness 



334 MEMOIKS OF THE 



had misled lier, and lier narrowness of intellect liad not 
enabled her to foresee the results. 

My health still continued indifferent. I no longer had 
constant fever, tliongh it returned at night. I was, however, 
able to receive company, though doing so did not amuse me. 
I was always low spirited, though I did my utmost to appear 
cheerful in the presence of others. lEy illness was greatly 
the cause of my melancholy, but the annoyance I had had 
whilst at Berlin had quite as much to do with it. I had got 
into a habit of sitting silent, pondering over things. 

Prince "William's death had left his regiment in the 
Imperial Army without a commander. The Margrave was 
advised to ask that it might be given to the Hereditary Prince. 
Margrave George William had raised the regiment upon the 
condition that it should always belong to the family. My 
father-ia-law desired me to write to the Empress on the 
subject. I received a most gracious answer from her, and 
the request was granted. The Hereditary Prince was de- 
lighted, for he was devoted to soldiering. 

We were at the beginrdng of the carnival. Mademoiselle 
von Marwitz did her utmost to cheer me, and proposed that 
I should arrange a masquerade. My husband, who loved 
amusement, urged me to obtain the Margrave's permission 
for the purpose. This was not so easy, for my father-ia-law 
dishked all gaieties. It was a matter of conscience with 
him, and his chaplain, who was very pious, encouraged him 
in this view. Flora Sonnsfeld, with whom we spoke of our 
wish, managed so well that the Margrave himself proposed 
my giving this ball. He asked me to undertake all the 
arrangements, and made only one condition, namely that he 
need not wear a mask. This kind of fete is known only in 
Grermany. A host and hostess are represented, and the 
other guests act the part of the different trades and guilds of 
the country, all wearing masks. 

I had the large ball-room transformed into a wood, ^ith a 



MARGRAVINE OF BATREUTH. 335 

village and an inn at the end of it. The house was built of 
bark and the roof covered with tiny lamps. In the interior 
of it a table was laid for twenty people, having a centre- 
piece Tiith a fountain. The ball commenced after dinner. 
Everyone else was charmed with it, but I was only bored, for 
my father-in-law never left me in peace, but insisted on 
holding long moral discussions with me. He prevented my 
speaking to any of my guests, of whom there were many 
whose conversation I should have enjoyed. 

The following Sunday the Margrave's Almoner preached 
a long sermon on the sinfulness of this ball, and publicly 
called us all to order. Although he openly spared the 
Margrave, he reproached him so bitterly in private for 
having consented to the masquerade that my poor father- 
in-law thought himself condemned to all eternity. He 
promised solemnly that such festivities should never take 
place again, upon which his chaplain gave him absolution. 
But this was not sufficient : the Margrave wished my hus- 
band to take a similar oath, which he, however, found means 
of evading, to the great displeasure of his father. A cir- 
cumstance arising at that time only strengthened the Mar- 
grave in his superstitious views, and might have resulted in 
his adopting the life of a Trappist, had not my husband 
brought the deception practised on him to light. 

Since Prince William's death a general panic existed on the 
subject of ghosts. Every day some fresh absurd story was 
circulated of persons and things supposed to have been seen 
and heard in the castle. Each story was more improbable 
than the last. The anxiety about my health seemed to have 
called a real ghost of flesh and blood into existence. It often 
liappens that what you most wish you are at last inclined to 
believe as a fact. A rumour was set on foot in the town that 
I was expecting to be confined, but as I was aware what had 
caused this, I took to riding, partly as an amusement and 
partly because the doctors considered it good for my health. 



336 MEMOIP.S OF THE 



The Margrave had given me a charming easy black horse. 
As I was still very weak, my ride never exceeded a quarter of 
an hour. Anything out of the common is sure to meet with 
disapprobation. The custom of ladies riding on horse- 
bach, which was so common in England and France, was 
unknown in Grermany. Everyone exclaimed against it, and 
hence the stories of ghosts arose. After a little while 
Chamberlain von Eeitzenstein was informed that a figure of 
supernatural size appeared every evening in the castle saying 
these words in a terrible voice, " Tell the highest Lady in the 
land that if she continues to ride a black horse some dreadful 
misfortune will overtake her. Tell her that she must on no 
account be seen outside her room for six weeks." 

M. von Eeitzenstein, himseK the most superstitious of 
mortals, at once iaformed the Margrave of this fact, the 
consequence being that I received an order on no account to 
leave the castle, or to be seen out riding. My annoyance 
was extreme, particularly at the absurd reason which had 
caused this prohibition. I represented to the Margrave 
that the whole circumstance was the purest invention, and 
my husband insisted so seriously on its being so, that he 
obtaiued his father's command to sift the whole matter. The 
Hereditary Prince thereupon had a watch kept at every 
entrance in the castle at which the ghost was said to show 
itself, but without result. The supernatural being seemed to 
have been informed of the measures taken against it, for it 
did not appear. The Hereditary Prince at length had a 
secret interview with the instigator of the whole fraud, and 
promised her (for a woman it was) a large sum of money if 
she would say who it was. The poor woman took a lantern 
^ith her, but had only time to look for one moment at the 
apparition, when it threw some poison at her, which bKnded 
her for life. According to her information, the person who 
represented the ghost had nut-shells over her eyes, and was 
tightly swathed in white linen sheets. The Margraves 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIRETJTH. 337 

superstitious piety, or rather his had humour with us, was 
not in any way appeased hy this discovery. The Hereditary 
Prince deemed it advisable, in order to avoid any possible 
misunderstanding between us and his father, to leave Baireuth- 
for a short while. We owed the Margrave of Anspach a 
visit, so we took this opportunity of paying it, and left for 
Anspach on the 21st January. 

It seemed almost as if the prediction of the ghost were to 
come true. In driving down a very steep road, the front 
wheel of our carriage came oflP, and we were nearly flung 
headlong down a precipice. My husband, my Governess, 
and Mademoiselle von Marwitz had managed to get out of 
the carriage, and my servants who were holding it back 
thought I had done the same. They let go their hold, 
and I should have been killed had I not jumped out. In 
doing so I fell down, and must have been crushed by the 
wheels had I not been extricated by a Prussian who was 
with us. Having had some wine to strengthen me after 
this fright, we continued our journey. 

A thaw had set in with the night, but the sun was required 
to melt the ice in the shade. Our road led across a river 
which was frozen over. As soon, however, as we got on it 
the ice gave way, and carriage and horses stuck fast. We 
were at length pulled out by the aid of ropes, and nar- 
rowly escaped drowning. 

At length we reached Baiersdorf, where we spent the 
night. I Was more dead than alive from fatigue and the 
terror of the narrow escapes we had had. We reached 
Anspach next evening. My reception there resembled that 
given me on the occasion of my first visit, and as I described 
the Court on that occasion, I will not stop to do so again. 
We returned to Baireuth on the 10th February, having left 
Anspach on the 8th. 

New troubles awaited us on our return home. At the 
time of my marriage a treaty had been made between the 



338 MEMOIRS OF THE 



King and the Margrave, by which my father obtained the 
right to levy three Prussian regiments in the Principality, 
namely, my brother's, the Hereditary Prince's, and the 
Prince of Anhalt's. M. von Miinichow, the recruiting 
officer at Baireuth, was a young man who stood high in my 
brother's favour. He was a son of the Miinichow, who had 
been of such service to the Crown Prince during his imprison- 
ment at Kiistrin, and had been specially recommended to my 
husband's notice. He was a good young man, but had 
certainly not invented gunpowder. He met us at Streitberg, 
where we were to dine, and announced to my husband the 
fact of his having enlisted a young man over six feet in 
height. This giant belonged to Bamberg, and had intended 
joining another regiment. M. von Miinichow had, there- 
fore, taken him by force and brought him. secretly to 
Pasewalk, without anyone's finding it out. He added that 
the man was a great rascal, who would do no good other- 
wise. He therefore thought the occurrence would make no 
great stir. 

The Hereditary Prince told me of this feat of Miinichow's, 
and I at once foresaw the annoyance it would cause us. My 
husband told Miinichow of my apprehensions, but he re- 
assured him greatly, by telling him of all the precautions he 
had taken in the matter. We therefore hoped that the 
whole transaction would remain a secret. The Margrave 
received us so kindly on our arrival at Baireuth, that I quite 
thought he had heard nothing, and he left in a most amiable 
mood for Himmelscron on the 12th February. We there- 
fore had every reason to think the circumstance was past and 
forgotten, when M. von Yoit had us awakened at midnight, 
demanding most urgently to speak with us. He told us that 
Councilor Lauterbach (a man of no particular social position) 
had been to see him towards dusk. He had asked him to 
inform US that he had just come from Himmelscron where 
he had left the Margrave in a greater state of rage than he 



MARGKAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 339 

had ever seen him in before. He had found out what Miini- 
chow had done, suspected the Hereditary Prince of being con- 
cerned in it, and had sworn revenge of the most summary 
kind. The Margrave intended to come to town next day, 
and Lauterbach warned us to take our precautions, as every- 
thing was to be feared for my husband. 

This intelligence caused us a deadly fear. We consulted 
and deliberated in vain : we could find no means of escape 
from the difficulty. Nothing remained to the Hereditary 
Prince but to bow to the inevitable, and submit. If this 
was of no use, then all was lost. We spent a cruel night. 

As soon as it was morning I sent for Mademoiselle von 
Sonnsfeld, and we consulted afresh what was to be done, but 
equally without result. At last we spoke to Plora Sonnsfeld. 
She promised to use all the influence she possessed with the 
Margrave to mediate in the matter. She feared, however, 
that she would be able to do but little. We took so little 
trouble at any time to give the Margrave pleasure, she said, 
that we could not be surprised if he treated us as he did. I 
asked her to explain what she meant by this remark, as I 
did not understand it. I could not remember that the 
Hereditary Prince or I had ever failed in consideration 
towards my father-in-law. Plora shrugged her shoulders 
and remained silent. I knew perfectly well what she meant, 
but I wished to oblige her to speak more clearly. She did 
not know what answer to make, and therefore merely replied 
that I turned him into ridicule and treated him Kke some- 
one who" was not quite in his right mind. " If I have ever 
said that the Margrave was not," I replied, "I spoke the 
truth. But I made this remark only in the presence of 
people who I was sure would make no bad use of it, like 
your sister and yourself. I admit that the Margrave has 
now good cause to be angry. I entirely disapproved of 
Miinichow's proceeding, and should not blame my father-in- 
law if he found fault with his son about it, as long as he 

z 2 



340 MEMOmS OF THE 



refrained from violence. wHeli would place h\m completely 
in the wi'ong.'' 

I spent the whole afternoon in a gi-eat state of agitation. 
I knew what the Margrave's fits of rage wonld be, and that 
in the first heat of the moment he was capable of anything. 
He arrived at five o'clock. IMy husband received him at the 
foot of the stairs, and accompanied him to his room, ^j 
father-in-law was most affectionate and kind in his manner 
towards the Hereditary Prince, and conversed for an hour with 
him. He then dismissed him, saying he had some business 
to transact, after which he would come and see me. My 
husband returned quite triumphant to me after this inter- 
view. He spoke of his father in Flora's presence in the 
highest terms of praise. He said he should never forget the 
temperate manner in which the Margrave had spoken with 
him on this occasion. Although he — the Hereditary Prince — 
was quite innocent of Miinichow's high-handed proceeding, 
yet he felt the wrong that had been done far more keenly 
than if his father had been violent with him. But this 
peaceful atmosphere w:.? -:on disturbed, and we heai'd that 
M. von Miinichow and rwj sergeants had been arrested and 
imprisoned. 

I remembered that not long before this occurrence the 
Dutch had shot a Prussian officer whom they had caught 
recruiting on theu' tenitory. and I remembered too that the 
Margrave had expressed his ajDproval of their action. I 
therefore had but little doubt that Miinichow would suffer 
the same fate. I trembled at the possibility, for I foresaw 
what dreadful results it would have. As I was considering 
what could possibly be done to prevent so dangerous a step, 
my father-in-law entered my room. He was extremely 
gracious, while I was greatly agitated. As we were just 
going to dinner we only spoke of trivial matters. After 
dinner was over I approached my father-in-law, saying to 
him, " Your Highness has every right to be extremely 



MARGRAVINE OF EAIREUTH. 341 

angrj with M. von Miinichow. The Hereditary Prince 
blames him as much as I do. Still, as his arrest will cause 
the King extreme annoyance, I implore your Highness to set 
him at liberty for my sake. It is the first favour I have ever 
asked of you, and I feel convinced you will not refuse it 
me." The Margrave listened to me coldly, and then replied 
in a most arrogant tone, " Your Royal Highness is always 
demanding favours of me which I cannot grant. The pro- 
ceeding is a monstrous one. The man whom Miinichow has 
carried off is a Catholic priest. He was boimd and most 
cruelly treated, and that even in my presence. I shall have 
endless trouble with the Bishop of Bamberg, and I cannot 
stand being treated with so great a want of respect. If my 
son has had any hand in it, I almost wish he had never been 
born, or had been strangled in his cradle. I am master here, 
and I will make my power felt by all who forget what is 
due to me and my position." 

" No body has, I think, ever ventured to doubt that," 
I answered. " I should be in utter despair if I thought your 
Highness imagined the Hereditary Prince had anything to 
do with this unfortunate affair ! " " I do not think he has," 
the Margrave said, " but my son would have done better to 
have himself informed me of all that occurred. I also quite 
think that Miinichow represented it all to him in a different 
Hght." 

" I quite agree," I answered, " but may I venture to make 
one more remark ? " " You can say every thing you wish," he 
replied. " Well, then, will your Highness let mercy gain the 
day, and will you set Miinichow free to-morrow ? Let his 
arrest be sufficient satisfaction for his fault. The Hereditary 
Prince will dismiss him at once. Miinichow is my brother's 
great favourite, and the Crown Prince is boimd to his family 
by many ties of gratitude. My brother would, I know, be 
everlastingly grateful to your Highness if he knew that you 
had given Miinichow his liberty on account of the services 



342 MEMOIRS OF THE 



rendered to him." My father-in-law interrupted me here by 
saying, "I beg your Eoyal Highness not to continue this 
conversation, and to say nothing more on the subject. I am 
the best judge of my own actions, and have the honour to 
wish you a very good night." "With these words the Mar- 
grave turned on his heel, leaving me standing dumb with 
surprise. 

My husband found me quite upset by the interview. We 
both expected the worst. The Hereditary Prince was greatly 
irritated with his father, and I was not less so. The Mar- 
grave was certainly justified in resenting Miinichow's 
conduct; still, he ought to have behaved differently. He 
ought to have spoken to his son about it, arrested Miinichow, 
and then granted my request for his freedom. The falseness 
"vvith which the Margrave behaved was unpardonable, and 
only proved the real state of his feelings towards us, which 
were certainly not those of friendship. Miinichow was tried 
publicly. He emphatically denied having ill-used his 
recruit, and equally denied ever having heard the man was a 
priest, as he had never worn the priest's babit. Miinichow 
was cross-questioned several f times, but without any further 
information being obtainedffrom him. Flora had been able 
to obtain nothing from the Margrave ; and I, therefore, 
determined to give out that I was ill, and took to my bed. 
Everything was tried to [move my father-in-law. He was 
told I was ill from the sorrow and trouble this occurrence 
had caused. He merely laughed when he heard it. 

Up till now, I had endeavoured by gentleness to bring the 
matter to a favourable issue. Hearing, however, that 
Miinichow was strictly guarded and treated like a criminal, 
I thought the time had arrived for energetic measures. I, 
therefore, sent for Baron Stein, and explained to him what 
disastrous results the Margrave's behaviour would have 
should he deal violently with Miinichow. I gave him such 
a wholesome fear of the King and his anger, that he 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 343 

promised to do all he could to pacify tlie Margrave. Terribly 
frightened by what I had told him, he rushed to his master, 
and put him into such a state of terror that he at once set 
Munichow free. 

My father-in-law desired Baron Stein to tell me, that he 
did not insist on Miinichow's dismissal, but that on the 
contrary he would treat him civilly. He implored me to make 
his peace vdih the King. I thanked the Margrave for the 
consideration he had shown me, in granting my request, and 
assured him my husband would at once order Miinichow to 
rejoin his regiment. My husband, I said, did not wish to 
have people about him that had the misfortune to offend his 
father. I promised to explain the whole afPair to the King, 
and felt sure that all would soon be forgotten. My father- 
in-law did not seem delighted with the part I had played. 
However, Miinichow took his departure, and peace was re- 
established. The Hereditary Prince was fortunate enough 
to induce the King to let the priest go. My father-in-law, 
therefore, received every satisfaction he could expect. 

I had scarcely begun to breathe again, when new troubles 
overtook me. These were caused by a letter from the King, 
in which he informed me, that being bound by treaty to 
assist the Emperor with ten thousand men, he intended to 
take the field himself, and join the army on the Ehine. He 
counted on my husband's accompanying him, and wished me 
to speak with the Margrave about it, and obtain his consent. 

My husband was burning to take part in the campaign, 
and as he had the King's support, he did not despair of 
gaining his father's leave. I, on the other hand, was much 
opposed to the plan. I knew my husband's ambition to 
distinguish himself. He loved soldiering passionately, and 
I was fearful of his exposing himself unnecessarily, and of 
some misfortune happening to him. He was my most precious 
earthly treasure : we were one heart and one soul. Never 
were two people so closely bound together as we were. 



344 MEMOIES OF THE 



Notwithstanding my fears, I was obliged to show the King's 
letter to my father-in-law. I managed, however, to deceive 
my husband, by speaking first to the Ministers, begging them 
to dissuade the Margrave from giving his consent. This 
gave me but little trouble. 

My husband was now the Margrave's only son. The 
Ministers were much opposed to the King's wishes, and 
promised to use their influence with the Margrave to prevent 
the plan being carried out. Having, therefore, arranged 
matters to my satisfaction, I now spoke to my father-in-law. 
He seemed rather put out, and said he would think the 
matter over. The Hereditary Prince moved heaven and 
earth to obtain his father's consent. Nobody, however, 
would help him, and the Margrave was not to be induced to 
grant the permission. All the country's hopes were centered 
in my husband, and everyone opposed the idea of his taking 
part in the war. This reply quieted the King for a while, 
and laid my fears to rest. 

I have not for some time mentioned my sister-in-law, 
Princess Charlotte. She was completely mad, and fit only 
to be shut up. At times she had most violent paroxysms of 
rage, and her father was then obliged to beat her. Nobody 
could manage her. She appeared twice daily in public, and 
was then closely watched all the time. The Duke of Weimar 
had long wished to marry her. He was one of the most 
powerful of the Saxon Princes of the time. He was almost 
as mad as Princess Charlotte, so that they suited each other 
perfectly. He had a picture painted of the Princess by 
Dobener, and although it was a most unfavourable likeness, 
he was enchanted with it. He formally proposed to the 
Margrave for Princess Charlotte's hand, and made only one 
condition, namely, that the matter should not be talked of 
till he himself came to Baireuth. The Margrave at once 
consented, as can easily be understood, and the preparations 
for the wedding were taken in hand. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 345 

Princess "Wilhelmine, who had not been able to make up 
her mind to go to Denmark, had meanwhile married the 
Prince of East Friesland. But to return to the Duke of 
Weimar. He came like Nicodemus by night, and announced 
his arrival only a few hours before he made his appearance. 
He also gave notice of the Duke of Coburg's visit, which 
annoyed us a good deal. He was the Duke of Weimar's 
next heir, and we feared he came to Baireuth in order to 
prevent the marriage. Both Dukes arrived the same evening. 
As my father-in-law hated guests, as well as society of any 
kind, he desired me to do the honours, and instructed his 
Court to take all orders from me. The Eoyal Dukes were 
at once brought to me. The Duke of Weimar was small and 
very thin. He was most civil and courteous, and I could 
then discover nothing singular about him. He took a great 
deal of notice of Princess Charlotte, who was as beautiful as 
an angel. The Duke of Coburg was tall and well pro- 
portioned : he was very clever, and full of good sense. He 
deserved the respect of everybody for his many great 
qualities of heart and mind. 

Next day the Duke of Weimar showed himself in his true 
light. He conversed with me for two hours, telling me such 
barefaced lies as he could only have learned in the " devil's 
school." He never sent any message to the Margrave, 
which greatly disquieted my father-in-law, who entreated 
me for God's sake to get the marriage settled. " I do 
not wish to expose myself to a refusal from the Duke of 
Weimar," he said to me, "your Poyal Highness alone can 
settle this matter. I should be in despair if the marriage 
were broken off. The honour of my house and family would 
suffer from such a misfortune, and it might, besides, have 
disastrous results." 

I gave in to the Margrave's entreaties, but found myself 
in a great difficulty, as I did not in the least know how to 
induce the Duke to declare himself. 



346 MEMOIRS OF THE 



The Duke of Colburg, however, came to my assistance. 
He asked the Hereditary^ Prince and myself for a private 
interview, in which he told ns that he was quite aware that 
we considered him heir presumptive to the Duke of Weimar, 
and therefore mistrusted his intentions in coming to Baireuth. 
That he had come solely to help on the marriage, for the 
Duke of Weimar was subject to fits of bad temper, was 
extremely stupid, and changed his mind at least twenty 
times a-day, so that we should never arrive at a solution of 
the question in the ordinary way. He advised me to joke 
with the Duke of Weimar about the marriage, and get him 
to declare himself, and then immediately announce the 
betrothal. The Duke of Coburg said he would support me 
in every way in his power, for the Princess pleased him, and 
he was sure that if I would do as he suggested the engagement 
would be settled that very evening. My husband and I 
were most grateful to him. The Duke of Coburg instructed 
me in my part, and begged the Hereditary Prince not to 
interfere, for he added, " The Duke of Weimar is fond of 
ladies, and Her Eoyal Highness will be able to make him 
jump over the stick if she likes." 

The Margrave was now informed of all that had been settled. 
I asked him to be in readiness to come to me as soon as I 
gave him a sign, so that he might be a witness of the 
engagement. 

In the afternoon I at once began to " shujffle my cards." I 
collected a band composed of every imaginable instrument, 
of trumpets, drums, fifes, bagpipes, horns, and what not 
besides, and the noise they made was almost deafening. 
The Duke of Weimar soon fell a prey to the influence of 
such sounds. He sprung from his chair, himself played the 
drum, danced, jumped about the room, and behaved in the 
most ridiculous manner. After dinner I led him to my 
room accompanied by the Duke of Coburg, Princess Char- 
lotte, and my ladies. I talked to him about the campaign 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 347 

on the Ehine, and said I thought it so wrong of the Emperor 
not to have appointed him to the command of the Army. He 
answered me by making the most extravagant remarks, and 
ended by saying he would join the Army, and he had every- 
thing in readiness. I replied, " I cannot approve of your 
intention. A Prince like yourself should not be allowed to 
expose himself. You have great expectations, and may yet 
become Elector of Saxony. It would not matter how many 
other princes were sacrificed, as long as you yourself are 
spared." " That is true," the Duke answered, " but I am 
born to be a soldier." I now interrupted him by saying, 
'' I know a means by which all could be combined. You 
must marry and soon have a son, and then you may take 
the field whenever you choose." 

" H'm ! " he replied, " as regards women, there are 
enough of those. I may see a hundred of them before I 
find one who pleases me. At Hof three princesses and two 
countesses are sitting waiting for me, but I like none of 
them, and shall send them all away again. Your royal 
father was good enough to propose yourself to me, and it 
only required my consent to have married you. I did not 
know you, so I declined the ofier with thanks. I am now in 
despair that I did so. I worship you, and am desperately in 
love with you ! " "I am indeed distressed ! " I exclaimed, 
" you have insulted me by declining my hand ! This is 
news indeed to me, and I am determined at whatever cost to 
have satisfaction for it ! " I acted as if I were beside myself. 
The Ilereditary Prince and my Ladies with diflSculty 
restrained their laughter. At last the Duke fell trembling 
at my feet, uttering protestations of love and devotion, and 
assuring me of his readiness to give me every satisfaction 
I demanded of him. " Well, then," I cried, " nothing will 
satisfy me but your marrying one of my relations. Will 
you do so ? " " With all my heart," the Duke answered, 
"propose to me whom you like, and may the thunder 



348 MEMOIRS OF THE 



fall on me if I do not marrj her at once." " I shall not 
require much time to find you a wife," I replied, " for here 
is someone who is far more beautiful and amiable than I 
am, and you ^411 only gain by the exchange." With these 
words I took my sister-in-law by the hand and presented her 
to the Duke. He wished to embrace her, but she pushed 
him from her, and, as she did so, the Duke exclaimed, " Dear 
me, she is proud indeed, but she pleases me, and I am more 
than satisfied." 

I now sent in hot haste for the Hargrave, and told him 
that as soon as he came the rings should be exchanged. He 
appeared a few moments later, and I at once told him that 
I had been bold enough to arrange a marriage, and that all 
that was now required was his consent to it. The Duke of 
Weimar had so risen in my estimation that I had given him my 
word of honour that he should obtain Princess Charlotte in 
marriage, and I hoped he would approve of the match. 
Instead of answering me the Margrave stood there with 
open mouth, and laughingly asked the Duke how he felt ? 
I thought the Duke of Cobm-g, my husband, and I should 
have died of surprise and disgust, for our fool of a Duke 
now began a long conversation with the Margrave, and 
seemed to have forgotten all about his betrothal. We were 
obliged to begin our manoeuvres afresh. At last we pressed 
the Margrave so hard that he obtained a satisfactory declara- 
tion from the Duke, and the engagement was settled. The 
cannons were fired, and the whole Court and the ladies from 
the town came to my room to offer their congratulations. 
After this we all went to dinner, and in the evening there 
was a ball. I retired to my room as soon as I had danced 
with the Duke of Weimar. I was dead tilled, and my thi-oat 
was quite sore from having had to speak so much. 

Next morning M. von Comartin, who was in attendance 
on the Duke of Weimar, asked to see me. He began by 
making many excuses in having to bring me an unpleasant 



MARGK.AVINE OF BATREUTH. 349 

message. The Duke was like one bereft of his senses, 
insisted on leaving instantly, and wished me to be informed 
that he did not want to marry. He said he wished to remain 
unmarried, and that all that had taken place yesterday had 
only been a joke. Comartin advised me to treat the whole 
matter with a very high hand, and to behave as if it were a 
matter of perfect indifference to me. I answered M. von 
Comartin that I did not need this advice : that he should tell 
the Duke from me, that I thought I had conferred a great 
honour on him by arranging this marriage, but that I did 
not in the least care for his relationship, and should be 
delighted if he took his departure as soon as possible. " Tell 
him also in my name," the Hereditary Prince added, " that 
I shall be very glad to show him my satisfaction at his 
behaviour." 

I informed the Margrave of what had happened, but 
begged him to pretend to know nothing of it, as I still hoped 
to arrange matters. I was not disappointed in this. 
Comartin came soon afterwards to see me again, to offer me 
his master's apologies, and beg me to reconcile him with my 
husband. The Duke now appeared himself. I pretended 
for a long time to be very angry ; but at last softened my 
manner towards him, and my husband's wrath also gave 
way. We settled that the wedding should take place next 
day on the 7th April. 

I dressed the Princess in my own room. She wore a white 
robe, and on her head was a ducal crown made of my own 
diamonds. Till this moment all had gone well, and my 
sister-in-law had remained quiet and composed. As I was, 
however, on the point of placing the crown on her head, she 
sprang from her chair and rushed screaming and crying from 
one room to the other. She knelt in turn before each chair 
as if to pray. Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld, who had most 
power over her, asked her what was the matter. The Princess 
answered that people wanted to murder her, and that she was 



3 50 2kLP.M0IRS OF THE 



surrounded bv enemies wishing to l^i11 her. After some 
time we at last discovered the cause of her terror. She had 
seen her brother's coffin, and the same crown she was now 
going to wear had lain on a cushion near it. TTe had the 
greatest trouble in the world in pacifying her. 

She looked most beautiful. As soon as she was ready 
dressed the Margrave and the two Dukes came to fetch her. 
"We led her first to the audience chamber, where the deed of 
renunciation was signed. The religious service was then 
performed, after which there was a great banquet, followed 
bv the "Fackeltanz.'"* TVhen all was over I accompanied 
the bride to her room, to help her undress. My husband did 
the same with the Duke. The Duke behaved in the straugest 
manner, and kept us all up till four in the morning. 

The late hours and the many fatigues had done my health 
great haiTQ. and in spite of every possible remedy I suffered 
incessantly and most cruelly. 

Xext day we had fresh troubles. The Duke complained 
of his wife, and continued to do so all the rest of the time 
they were at Baireuth. I would not interfere in their 
CjuaiTels, and left my husband to settle them. At last, 
to our great relief, the newly-married pair left on the 14th 
April. I think we should all have gone mad had they 
remained any longer. As the Duchess had no ladies of her 
own. I was very glad of the excuse of letting Mademoiselle 
Mora von Sonnsfeld go with her, and gave her six weeks' leave. 
The Hereditary Prince accompanied his sister as far as 
Coburg, where he remained only a few days. The Margrave 
went toBQLmmelscron. and the Hereditary Prince and I went 
later to the '* Hermitage." I there received a letter from 
the Queen which surpiised me not a little. She informed 
me that my youngest sister, Sophie, was engaged to be 
married to the same Marerave of Schwedt who had formerly 



A polonaise danced with torches 



iVlARGRAVlNE OF BAIREUTH. 351 

been my destined husband. She praised the Prince in a 
most strange way, and said she would never have opposed 
him so much at that time had she known him better. I 
marvelled at the changeableness of all earthly things, par- 
ticularly of the human heart. The Margrave of Schwedt 
had known how to win the Queen over to his side by re- 
porting ever}i:hing to her that happened, till she at last con- 
sented to the marriage. But no sooner was the engagement 
declared than he let fall the mask, and showed himself in his 
true colours. In consequence of this I received another 
letter from my mother by the following post containing 
accounts of all the Margrave's villainies. This marriage 
made me quite wretched, for I loved my sister dearly. She 
was not beautiful, but her noble character, gentleness, and a 
thousand other good qualities, more than counterbalanced 
that deficiency. She knew how to manage her husband so 
cleverly that he treated her like a lamb. Nevertheless, she 
was not able to cure him of his faults, and he remained what 
he had ever been. They were however very happy together 
in spite of everything, and he behaved like an angel to his 
T\dfe. 

My fears that my husband would after all join the Army 
on the Ehine began afresh. He tried secretly to obtain the 
Margrave's consent. I on the other hand did my utmost to 
prevent his doing so. In this way we cheated each other. I 
received a second letter from the King on the subject which 
-annoyed me terribly. Its contents were as follows : 

" My dear Daughter, — 

" I leave in six weeks for the Rhine. My son 
and my cousins accompany me, my son-in-law should 
also do so. Is he to remain planting cabbages at Baireuth 
whilst all other Princes of the Empire take part in the 
war? He will appear like an arrant coward in the eyes 
of the whole world. The Margrave's reasons against his 



352 MEMOIRS OF THE 



going are all groundless. You must force Hm to consent; 
he insults his son if he prevents his taking part in the cam- 
paign. Let me have an early answer, and believe me," &c. 

Oh, Heavens! I can never describe what I felt whilst 
reading this letter ! I burst into tears. The Hereditary ' 
Prince spoke very seriously with me about it, and said that 
his father's continual opposition to his serving in the war 
would force him to do so without his consent. I answered 
my husband that all he could expect of me was that 
I should not oppose his wishes. But that I could not 
be asked to try and induce his father to let him go. I sent 
the King's letter to the Margrave. He asked me to return 
to Baireuth, where there were many important things to be 
discussed with me, and where he intended summoning a 
Council of State. I accordingly returned to Baireuth on the 
14th June. The Margrave showed me a letter from the 
King written much in the same strain as that which I had 
received, and also one from Count von Seckendorf. He 
implored the Margrave, for God's sake, to give in to the 
King's wishes, as his opposition would cause him only end- 
less disagreeables. The campaign would anyhow not last 
long, on account of the season of the year being far 
advanced. He hoped to send the Prince back to him before 
the end of the year, well and strong, and crowned with 
honours. My father-in-law asked me what I thought of all 
this. I answered that I left the whole matter in his hands. 
He was the father, and I was sure he would consider all 
sides of the case before he came to a final decision. The 
Margrave seemed very uneasy. The vv^hole country was, in 
fact, opposed to the Hereditary Prince's taking part in the 
war. People said openly that should the Margrave let his 
son go it would be a proof that he did not care for him. My 
father-in-law therefore answered the King that his proposi- 
tion was so serious and grave, that he must take it into 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 353 

earnest consideration. My husband was terribly put out 
by his father's want of decision, and urged him daily to 
grant his request. 

The King had meanwhile left to join the Army. My 
brother and all the Princes followed him a few days later. 
The King had gone by way of Cleves, but my brother wrote 
me word he should pass through Baireuth. As the King 
had however strictly forbidden him to stop there, he begged 
me to meet him on the 2nd July at Berneck, two miles from 
Baireuth, where he should make a halt of an hour. I took 
good care not to lose this opportunity of seeing my beloved 
brother, and started quite early in the morning for Berneck, 
accompanied by my Groverness, M. von Yoit, and M. von 
Seckendorf. My husband, attended by my Chamberlain 
and Baron Stein, followed us, to welcome the Crown Prince 
in the Margrave's name. We arrived at ten o'clock at 
Berneck. The heat was intense, and I was very tired with 
the journey. I waited in the house prepared for my brother's 
reception till three o'clock in the afternoon. A fearful 
thunderstorm came on. I never witnessed one more tenible. 
The thunder resounded among the rocks which surround Ber- 
neck, till the world seemed approaching its end. A perfect 
deluge of rain followed on the thunder. It struck four o'clock, 
and yet my brother never came. I could not understand 
what had happened to him, while the different people I had 
sent on horseback to look for him did not return either. At 
last, in spite of all my entreaties, my husband started off in 
quest of my brother. 

I waited till nine o'clock in the evening in this painful 
state of anxiety, and no one appeared. My fears grew 
greater each moment. These tremendous rains are very 
dangerous in mountainous districts, and are often the cause 
of fatal accidents. I was therefore persuaded that some 
misfortune had happened to both the Crown Prince and the 
Hereditary Prince. At length I heard that my brother had 

AA 



354: MEMOlllS OF THE 



changed his route, and had gone to Culmbach, where he 
intended spending the night, and I wished to join him there. 
Culmbach is four miles* from Bemeck, and the road leading 
there is very bad and almost dangerous, being very precipitous. 
Eyerjbodj was opposed to my going there, and whether I 
wished it or not, I was put into the carriage and taken back 
to Ilimmelscron. We had a narrow escape of being drowned 
on the way. The streams were so swollen by the rain that 
the horses had to swim through them. 

At length I reached Himmelscron at midnight. Half 
dead from fear and fatigue, I threw myseK on my bed. I 
was haunted by the dread that some accident must haye 
happened to my brother and my husband. The Hereditary 
Prince arriyed at four o'clock, without, howeyer, bringing 
me any tidings of my brother. Somewhat pacified by my 
husband's return I fell asleep, but was awakened almosi 
directly by a message that M. yon Knobelsdorf wished to 
speak to me, haying been sent by my brother. I jumped up 
at once from my bed and rushed to meet him. He informed 
me that my brother had only expected me next day, and had 
therefore stopped to rest at Hof. H I liked, he would meet 
me at some spot near Baireuth, which he would reach at 
eight o'clock, and remain there a few hours to see me. Xo 
time was therefore left for sleep. I ordered my carriage and 
started to join, the Crown Prince. 

My brother oyerwhelmed me with afi'ection. He found 
me in a deplorable condition, and so altered, he could 
scarcely help crying. I could scarcely stand, I was so weak, 
and fainted constantly. He told me that the King was 
greatly irritated against the Alargraye, because he would not 
allow his son to take part in the campaign. I explained all 
my father-in-law's reasons to my brother, and defended his 
actions in the matter. " Yery well, then," the Prince replied, 



Eight English miles. 




MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 355 

*' jour liusband must leave the Army, and give up the com- 
mand of his regiment to the King. At the same time, you 
need have been in no anxiety, for I know from reliable sources 
that no blood will be shed." *' Yet, for all that," I added, 
" jDreparations are being made to lay siege to Philippsburg." 
^' That is true," he answered, " but no battle will be fought 
there." Whilst we were talking my husband joined us, and 
entreated my brother to help him to get away from Baireuth. 
They both stood talking together for some time. My brother 
told me afterwards that he would write the Margrave a very 
civil letter, and place the matter in such a light before him, 
that it could not fail to have good results. " We will remain 
together," he added, turning to my husband, " nothing will 
make me happier than to have my dear brother always 
about me." The Crown Prince wrote his letter, and gave it 
to Baron Stein to deliver to the Margrave, after which we 
took a tender farewell of each other. My brother promised 
me to obtain the King's leave to pay me a visit at Baireuth 
on his return. This was the last time I saw him in the same 
intimate way as of old. He changed greatly afterwards. 

We returned to Baireuth, and I was for three days after- 
wards so ill that my life was almost despaired of. I 
recovered, however, for a time ; but the low fever I suffered 
from continued worse than ever. 

I have not mentioned Mademoiselle Flora von Sonnsfeld 
for some time. She had returned from Weimar, where she 
had left the Duke and Duchess very iiappily and peacefully 
established. I had always flattered myself that the Mar- 
grave's passion for her would cool down during her absence ; 
but I had reckoned without my^host, for on her return he 
became more in love with her than ever. His affection for 
her knew no bounds ; he spent the whole day with his lady- 
love, preached moral sermons to her, and contented himself 
by kissing her hands. Every day he put on a new coat, and 
had his few remaining hairs dressed so as to appear younger. 

AA 2 



356 MEMOIRS OF THE 



If he were prevented seeing her, notes were rained down 
upon her, and these were so tender, and at the same time so 
senseless, that they disgusted the reader. He declared he 
intended to marry her, and that his intentions were of the 
most honourable kind. Anyhow, the whole proceeding dis- 
pleased us extremely. Flora loved the Margrave as much as 
he did her, and I foresaw that she would in the end give in 
to his wishes. The poor Margrave, however, was doomed to 
other sorrows than that which his cruel lady-love caused him, 
and in this fresh trouble I felt most truly with him. This 
blow was the death of the Prince of Culmbach, the news of 
which was brought the Margrave by his aide de camp. The 
Prince of Culmbach fell on the 29th June, in the battle of 
Parma. The troops were commanded by Greneral Merci. 
The Prince had just captured a French battery, when two 
bullets struck him, and he fell into a ditch. He was carried 
into a neighbouring hut, where the surgeons that attended 
him told him he had but a few hours to live. " I have the 
satisfaction of dying as I always wished to die, and shall be 
quite contented if we are victorious." These were his last 
words, for he lost consciousness and died soon afterwards. 
The Marshal Merci and fifteen oflB.cers of high rank were 
killed in this battle. The French remained in possession of 
the battle-field, and the victory must be allowed to have 
been theirs, for the losses sustained by the Austrians were 
enormous. 

The Hereditary Prince and myself felt the Prince's death 
most keenly. It cost me many bitter tears, for I lost 
a most true friend and a prince who had been the pride of 
our family. His body was brought secretly to Baireuth. 

The Crown Prince's letter to the Margrave had meanwhile 
borne fruits, and preparations were being hurried forward for 
my husband's departure. I had sunk into the deepest 
melancholy. The Prince of Culm bach's death had made 
such an impression on me, that I felt sure that a similar fate 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 357 

would overtake the Hereditary Prince. My bad state of 
health comforted me, for I hoped that should he be killed I 
should not survive him long. Up to this time the doctors 
had bled me eight times in the space of ten months. They 
did not recognize the disease I was suffering from, and thought 
my ill-health was the result of being too full-blooded. They 
also gave me very strong remedies, which for a time afforded 
me relief. They now wished to try another treatment, and 
recommended a course of waters. In order to carry this out 
we went with the Margrave to the Brandenburger baths. The 
waters were, however, too strong for me in my weakened 
state, and after three days I was obliged to give up taking 
them. 

About this time the Prince of Culmbach's body reached 
Baireuth. As the preparations for his funeral, which was to 
be solemnized with great pomp and ceremony, were not yet 
completed, the coffin was placed in the chapel. 

The Margrave was terribly affected by the Prince's death, 
and seemed to fail rapidly. The doctors declared his con- 
dition was most serious, and that his recovery could not be 
hoped for unless he gave up drinking so much. He was, 
however, so accustomed to this habit, that it was most difficult 
for him to renounce it. 

The terrible day of the Hereditary Prince's departure at 
last drew near. It was the 17th August. Only those who 
loved as passionately as I did can understand what I suffered. 
A thousand deaths cannot be compared to my sorrow. My 
powers of imagination were so excited that I felt convinced 
I should never see my husband again. He tore himself from 
me, and was so upset at my condition that he did not seem 
conscious of anything, and was led in this state to his 
carriage. I remained behind overwhelmed with grief. My 
condition would have touched even the most hard-hearted of 
beings. I remained like this for four days, after which I 
endeavoured to control my sorrow, and to appear outwardly 



"858 MEMOIES OF THE 



calm. I have not, liitlierto, mentioiied the campaign on the 
Ehine, so as not to interrupt my narrative. I will therefore 
now mention the most important facts connected with it. 

The Duke of Bevern, who had last year been appointed to 
the command of the Imperial Army, consisting of 20,000 
men, had till now remained on the defensive. He had been 
nnable to prevent the French Army under the Duke of 
Berwick from crossing the Rhine. Prince Eugene of Savoy 
took over the Duke of Bevern' s command. On his arrival 
he expressed great dissatisfaction at the positions taken up 
by the Duke, and immediately moved the troops from Stock- 
hof en. The French pursued the Imperial Army, but without 
being able to do it any harm. Although France had not up 
to this moment attacked the Empire, the Princes had im- 
prudently mixed themselves up in this war by offering their 
contingents to the Emperor. Six thousand Danes, ten 
thousand Prussians, and the troops of the Empire were most 
useful in extricating Prince Eugene from a very precarious 
position. The Prince was however unable to prevent the 
French taking Kehl, and laying siege to Philippsburg. This 
latter place capitulated after six weeks' determined resistance. 
Marshal de Bermck and Prince Lixin were killed in the 
trenches. Two days after the fall of Philippsburg my 
husband reached the Army. The King had done everything 
in his power to induce Prince Eugene to fight a battle in 
order to relieve the town. The Prince refused to do so, and 
represented to the King that should he be beaten, the whole 
of Germany would then be at the mercy of the French, and 
they would be able to take whatever they liked. 

The Hereditary Prince was most kindly received by the 
King and my brother, and as his things had not yet arrived, 
the Crown Prince lent him a tent. My husband found the 
King much altered. His face was thin and dra^^m, and he 
had the gout in one hand. He already carried in him the 
seeds of that disease from which he died. My father was not 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 359 

able to remain with the Army during the whole campaign, 
but was obliged to go to Cleves. Before he left he was most 
teuder and affectionate in his manner to my husband, and 
told the Crown Prince to stop at Baireuth on his way back. 
The Hereditary Prince became most popular with all the 
generals and officers. He did his utmost to learn his duties, 
and his moral conduct, his courtesy, and charming, amiable 
manner, won him all hearts. It was quite a different thing 
with my brother, who had struck up an intimate friendship 
with Prince Henry, brother of the Margrave of Schwedt. 
This Prince had no other merit than his good looks : he was 
full of vice, which, together with his bad character, caused 
him to be held in contempt by everyone. He had, however, 
managed to gain great power over my brother, whom he 
ruined and entangled in his own evil ways. But this was not 
all : he succeeded in making the Crown Prince suspicious of 
all honest, upright people. Only those who shared his views 
were acceptable. In one word, my brother was an altered 
man. Everybody was dissatisfied with him, and my hus- 
band shared the same fate as others did. 

One day, when my husband had gone with my brother, 
Duke Alexander of Wurtemberg, and several other generals 
to reconnitre the enemy's positions, they found the French 
outposts on this side of the Phine. The Hereditary Prince 
began to take notes and make sketches of their positions, and 
did not notice that my brother had separated himself from 
liim. A young Hussar who was with my husband amused 
himself by spending his time in shooting at the enemy with 
his gun. The French at once answered him, and the bullets 
soon flew round the Hereditary Prince's head. He, however, 
never stirred, but continued finishing his sketches. He did 
not however neglect to give the Hussar a severe reprimand 
for his heedlessness. As soon as the Prince had finished his 
drawings and notes he mounted his horse and hastened to 
rejoin my brother. The Crown Prince was speaking in a most 



360 



MEMOIRS OF THE 



satirical manner to Prince Henry of Schwedt about tlie 
occTirrence I have just mentioned. The Hereditary Prince 
overheard what was said, and described the circumstance as it 
had taten place. As however he observed my brother still 
continued talking in whispers to Prince Henry, looking scorn- 
fully at him meanwhile, my husband said to him, " I will 
soon teach those who dare to calumniate me to your Boyal 
Highness how to speak the truth, and will cure them of 
telling lies." 

The Crown Prince and Prince Henry, for whom the remark 
was intended, were at once silenced. 

Next day my husband had a splendid opportunity of 
showing Priace Henry up before all the generals. This latter 
thereupon pretended to be ill, and induced the Crown Prince, 
who was very much put out with the Hereditary Prince, to 
show him some marked civilities. 

A few days after these events a messenger arrived in camp, 
bringing news of the King's serious condition. His illness 
had much increased, and he had been unable to leave Cleves. 
His body had become much swollen, the doctors declared 
him to be suffering from dropsy, and considered his state one 
of great danger. 

I now returned to Baireuth. As the funeral of the Prince 
of Culmbach was to take place on the 25th August, we 
intended going to Himmelscron in order to avoid being 
present at it. Since my husband's departure I had observed 
that the Margrave's passion for Flora Sonnsfeld had greatly 
increased. She could not resist shomng her affection for 
him ; and we remarked from various hints she dropped that 
she had fallen a prey to the desire of becoming Margra- 
vine. My father-in-law's health was failing visibly. His 
physician, who was about the most ignorant man in existence, 
promised him complete recovery by means of baths and 
waters. These consisted of pine cones boiled in water. The 
Margrave and I began our cure simultaneously. Mer- 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 361 

cifully some charitable people warned me I should kill 
mjseK, if I used these pine baths. They wished equally to 
warn my father-in-law, but he had such unbounded faith in 
his doctor that he continued his treatment, and constantly 
fainted whilst taking the baths. The Margrave was much 
occupied with the restoration of Himmelscron. Workmen 
were employed night and day, redecorating the rooms with 
looking-glasses and rich gilt mouldings. My father-in-law 
also intended laying out a beautiful garden there, and 
building a riding school. 

From all these preparations I gathered that he was intend- 
ing to marry, and to establish himself entirely at Himmels- 
cron. Mademoiselle von Marwitz encouraged me in this 
belief, and warned me to be on my guard. This young lady 
was very clever, and I could rely on her discretion, and grew 
daily more attached to her. As she was always on the alert, 
she soon found out that many people were mixed up in this 
intrigue, amongst others M. von Hesberg, who had been 
Prince William's Governor. I had always known him to 
be a most upright and honourable gentleman, and therefore 
had no hesitation in seeking an explanation from him. I 
however thought it best to wait till after I had returned from 
Himmelscron. 

I left for this place on the 24th August, accompanied 
by my Groverness and Mademoiselle von Marwitz. The 
time I spent there was dull in the extreme. The Mar- 
grave was in a terrible state : his memory was almost gone, 
and he was scarcely conscious of what he said. After dinner, 
and when he had drunk wine, he was seized with convulsions, 
which terrified me, as I feared they would end in the same 
fits to which he had been subject in his youth. He spent 
the rest of the day in my room, which annoyed me not a 
little. 

We at last returned to Baireuth on the 4th September, 
after which I at once endeavoured to have a private inter- 



362 ■ MEMOIES OF THE 



view ^ith. M. Yon Hesberg. He at once owned to me that 
lie was cognisant of all that I wished to know, that 
ITademoiselle Flora von Sonnsfeld had confided the whole 
matter to him, and that the circnmstances of the case were 
as follows. From the first moment I had interfered in the 
matter, the [jlargrave had been unceasing in his endeavours 
to win Flora's consent. She had at first refused to listen to 
him, but had now given in to his entreaties, yet only on 
condition that she obtained our consent to her marriage with 
him. The Margrave, who was well aware of the difficulties that 
stood in the way of his making her Margravine, had decided 
to make her Countess of T Tim melscron. He intended retiring 
with her to Himmelscron, and investing a large capital for 
her out of the Principality. He only waited till the Here- 
ditary Prince returned, and my brother had left, to inform 
us of his intentions. He was determined to carry them out 
whether we approved of them or not. 

All this troubled me greatly. I could easily have put an 
end to all these intrigues by appealing to the King, but I 
loved my Groverness and her family too much, to wish to 
expose them to his displeasure. I at length determined to 
venture " all for all," and sent for Flora von Sonnsfeld. I 
told her that I was perfectly well-informed of all her 
intrigues with the ITargrave, and that I had already on a 
previous occasion spoken -vrith. her, telling her that I should 
never give my consent to the mamage, and that if slie 
persisted in her intention of marrying the Margrave, she 
would compel me to inform the King of what was taking- 
place. That she must give up having these constant inter- 
views with him, which did harm to her reputation. I said 
she ought to consider the tenible state of his health, that 
he was on the brink of the grave, and coidd not possibly 
live long. If she married him for love, then her grief at his 
loss would be far greater than it would otherwise have been. 
Bu.t if she were doing so merely from selfish motives, then I 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 363 

promised to provide for her as long as I lived, and told her 
I would endeavour to find means of rewarding her for 
the sacrifice she might make of her personal wishes. I 
softened this speech as much as possible, and, partly by 
threats and partly by gentleness, obtained a second promise 
from her that she would move no farther in the matter. 
She owned to me she had always hoped to win my con- 
sent in the end, that the ICargrave's affection for her touched 
her deeply, and she should be obliged to treat him most 
carefully, in order to prevent his anger being roused and 
vented on us, " for " she added, " were he to become aware 
that your Eoyal Highness' opposition to his wishes was the 
cause of my refusal, there is no knowing to what his fmy 
might drive him." 

Flora von Sonnsfeld managed so cleverly that up to the 
moment of his death she evaded giving the Margrave a 
decided answer, and by her influence over him was able to 
be of the greatest service to us. She was indeed the Mar- 
gravine in all but name. Nothing was settled without her 
leave, and all marks of favour were obtained through her. 
The first pleasure I owed to her intervention was my hus- 
band's return, the permission for which she obtained with 
great dijB&culty from the Margrave. The French were taking 
up their mnter quarters, and there was nothing more for the 
Ai'my to do. 

On the 14th of this month I had the great joy of again 
embracing my husband. He had been universally appre- 
ciated. I received numerous letters all speaking in terms of 
the highest praise of him, and of the zeal he had shown in 
learning his duties in the field. I found him looking very 
well and much stouter. He expressed himself with much 
dissatisfaction about my brother, who, he told me, was so 
greatly altered for the worse that one would scarcely recog- 
nize him. He said the Crown Prince no longer took the 
least interest in me, and was, in one word, altogether a 



36 i MEMOIRS OF THE 



changed man. I was greatly distressed at tliis news, but 
nevertheless flattered myself I should regain my place in his 
afleetions during his stay with me. 

The King was in a wretched condition. He had been 
taken to Berlin, but the doctors considered his state as quite 
hopeless. The ATargrave was faihQg rapidly. The state of 
his health did not allow of his receiving my brother. In 
order to avoid seeing him he went into the Park, where he 
had a beautiful house, and began a new cure. But he was 
unable to stand the treatment, and an attack of haemorrhage 
threatened to put an end to his life. Those about his person 
advised him to dismiss his doctor, and indeed iiTitated him 
so much against him, that had not others interfered he would 
have had the poor man arrested. The other doctors told the 
Margrave that the baths had produced the state in which he 
was, whilst Grokel (his ovrn doctor) declared the very reverse, 
and tried to prove it by giving the following reasons : 

" Tou preserve the body by embalming it," he said, 
" if therefore I succeed in embalming a Kving being, he 
ought to live a hundred years. Pine cones are the best 
remedy against decomposition, and I have therefore acted as 
a clever man should in recommending the use of this remedy 
to the Margrave and the Hereditary Princess." 

I could not help laughing at a system that was to make 
mummies of the Margrave and myself. 

Meanwhile we received favourable news of the Austrians 
in Italy. Count Konigseck having crossed the Seggio with 
his troops, surprised the army of Count Broglio and the King 
of Sardinia. The Marshal escaped ^ith bare feet, the other 
with his boots on, and the whole Allied Army took to flight. 
People eaid it had been most amusing to see the Austrian 
soldiers dressing themselves up in the braided uniforms of 
the French officers. A few days later, the French received 
full satisfaction. Count Konigseck having pursued them, 
they offered him battle at Guastalla, and defeated him. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 365 

Prince Louis of Wiirtemberg, and many brave Austrian 
generals fell in this engagement. 

My brother arrived at our house on the 6th October. He 
seemed to me to be unable to control himself, and, in order 
to avoid all conversation with me, said he was obliged to 
write to the King and Queen. I sent for pens and paper, 
and he sat down and wrote in my room. It took him one 
good long hour to write two short notes of a few lines only. 
Afterwards he had the whole Court presented to him, but 
took no particular notice of its members beyond looking 
mockingly at each of them. We then went to dinner. The 
whole of his conversation consisted of perpetual satirical 
remarks about everything he saw, whilst he repeated to me 
over and over again the words " little Sovereign and little 
Court " at least a hundred times. I was irritated beyond 
measure, and could not understand how he could have altered 
so much tov/ards me. The etiquette at all the Courts of 
Grermany allows only those that have the rank of captain to 
dine at the table with the royal personages, lieutenants 
and ensigns dining at a third table. My brother had a 
lieutenant in his suite, and insisted on his dining at his table, 
saying that the King's lieutenants were worth the Margrave's 
Ministers. I appeared not to notice this uncivil remark. 

As we were sitting alone together in the afternoon, my 
brother said, " Our old master has nearly reached his end ; 
he will not last out this month ! I know he made you many 
fine promises, but I shall not be able to fulfil them. Half 
the sum the King has lent you I will leave you. I think 
you can both be satisfied with that." I answered him that 
my love for him had no selfish ends in view, and that I 
should never ask him for anything but the continuance of 
his friendship. I would rather not accept a penny from him 
than be a burden to him. " No, no," my brother replied, 
" you are to have the hundred thousand thalers.* I have 

* £15,000. 



366 MEMOIRS OF THE 



settled them on you. People will be much surprised when 
they find how differently I act to what they expect. They 
imagine I shall waste my treasures, and that money will 
become as common at Berlin as stones. I shall take good 
care it is not so. I shall increase the Axmy, but all the rest 
will remain on its old footing. The Queen, my mother, shall 
be treated with every possible respect and honour, but she 
shall not interfere in the affairs of the State. If she does 
so, she will meet her match in me." 

I was struck dumb, as I heard the Crown Prince say all this, 
and did not know whether I were sleeping or waking. My 
brother afterwards asked me about the affairs of the Princi- 
pality, about which I gave him nearer details. " When your 
foolish father-in-law is dead, I would advise your getting rid 
of the whole Court, and living like private people, in order to 
pay off your debts. You do not, in fact, require so many 
people, and you must discover how to reduce the salary of 
those whom it is necessary for you to keep. You were 
accustomed at Berlin to have only four dishes at dinner, and 
you must be satisfied with the same here. I will ask you 
both to come to Berlin from time to time, and that will save 
you the expense of housekeeping." 

My heart had all along felt fit to break, but now as I 
listened to this unworthy talk of my brother's I burst into 
tears. " Why do you cry ? " he asked me, " go along with. 
you, you are depressed and in a melancholy humour, and re- 
quire some distraction. The music is waiting for us. I will 
drive your sad thoughts away by plajdng to you on the flute." 
With these words he gave me Ms hand, and led me into the 
other room. I sat down to the harpsichord which I covered 
with my tears. Mademoiselle von Marwitz sat down opposite 
to me, so that no one should observe my distress. 

On the fourth day of his stay with us the Crown Prince 
received an urgent message from the Queen entreating him 
to hasten his return, as the King was at the point of death. 



MAKGRAVIXE OF 33AIREUTH. 367 

This news overwhelmed me with grief. I loved the King, 
and felt that owing to the turn ciiTumstances had taken, I 
conld no longer rely on my brother. During the last two 
days- before he left he was more amiable towards me. My 
love for him made me find excuses for his shortcomings, and 
I fondly believed we were again reconciled to each other. 
The Hereditary Prince meanwhile did not let liimself be 
deceived. He told me many things which afterwards came 
true. My brother took his departure on the 9th October, 
leading me in great uncertainty regarding himself. Two 
days after this the Margrave returned to Baireuth. I was 
greatly taken aback at his appearance, for I never had seen 
such an alteration in anyone. His whole face was drawn on 
one side, so that I scarcely recognized him. During the 
whole time he spent with me he did nothing but abuse his 
doctor, and give me the minutest details of his illness. This 
latter increased so rapidly, that he was soon unable to leave 
Ms ovm room. I visited him every day, and his temper was 
so unbearable, that we suffered martyrdom whilst we were 
with him. For fear of bringing his people into trouble, we 
dared speak to nobody. The Margrave had taken it into his 
head that we had intrigues and plots with everyone, and in 
order to put an end to the constant disagreeableness to which 
we were exposed, we no longer saw anybody, with the ex- 
ception of my ladies. We dined and supped alone, I read, 
worked, and composed music during the day. We played 
at blindman's buff, danced or sung, in fact tried to pass 
away the time as best we could. I have hitherto forgotten 
to mention a very interesting circumstance, because I disliked 
breaking the thread of my naiTative. 

■ I have already given a description of the Dowager Mar- 
gravine of Culmbach, who lived at Erlangen. She had 
fallen in love with a Count Hoditz, who belonged to a very 
old Silesian family, but who was notorious as an adventurer. 
As the Princess' singular behaviour was well known, and as 



368 



MEMOIRS OF THE 



she was constantly having fresh lovers, this new intimacy 
did not trouble the Margrave. At first too she was most 
circumspect in her conduct, but eventually determined to 
marry this Count Hoditz. The two lovers left the castle 
one dark night. In order to escape unseen, they had got 
hold of the keys and let themselves out through the garden. 
It was pouring with rain, but notwithstanding they walked 
to a small village half a mile from Erlangen. The Mar- 
gravine was dressed in a petticoat and short jacket. In this 
village they found two Cathohc priests who married them, 
after which they returned to the castle in the same manner 
in which they had come. The Margravine's secretary and a 
footman who had followed them served as witnesses. She 
gave her husband, who left in a few days for Yienna, part of 
her jewels, and the rest she pawned to pay for the expenses 
of his journey. This circumstance made a great stir, and 
the Margravine's secretary, who observed that he would not 
be likely to gain by it, notified the marriage to my father- 
in-law. 

The Margrave immediately sent Baron Stein to Erlangen 
to enquire into the whole matter. The Margravine at once 
acknowledged her marriage. Every possible representation 
was made to her. She was told how disgraceful her 
behaviour was, and the serious consequences it would have. 
It was proposed to annul the marriage, on account of its not 
having been performed according to the ritual of the Church, 
inasmuch as the priests had not received dispensation from 
the Bishop of Bamberg to perform the ceremony. The 
Margravine answered that she would rather live on dry bread 
and water with the Count than possess all the riches of the 
world. As the Margrave perceived he could make no im- 
pression on her, he informed the Duke of Weissenfels of the 
occurrence. The Duke sent one of his ministers to Erlangen, 
but all Ms entreaties and representations proved equally un- 
availing. The Margravine left the castle to rejoin her 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 369 

husband. Her creditors however (of whora there were 
mauj) arrested her. In order to free herself from their 
hands, she made over all her possessions to them. Having 
done this, she went to Yienna, where she became a Eoman 
Catholic. She lived there in the greatest poverty, despised 
by everyone. As long as she still possessed any money her 
husband had flattered her. She was forced to sell all her 
clothes to pay his expenses, and he finally deserted her, 
leaving her in abject misery. 

Tlie commencement of the year 1735 was not favourable 
to the Margrave. His health became worse and worse, and 
he could no longer leave his bed. Endless projects passed 
through his mind, but he never thought of death. He 
planned improvements at Himmelscron. He intended making 
it a beautiful residence, and spending a hundred thousand 
florins on it. I have not yet spoken of his order. He 
wished to alter it, and have different classes of it. He 
bought numbers of horses, and had different kinds of 
carriages built, in order to keep up the appearances of a 
" great gentleman." Indeed, had not the Almighty taken 
him to Himself, he would have ruined his whole country, 
and made us complete beggars. All about him who saw that 
he could not possibly recover, turned for help to the Here- 
ditary Prince, who was secretly endeavouring to postpone the 
rebuilding of Himmelscron and other expenses. At times 
the Margrave was not responsible for what he did : every- 
thing went wrong, and he caused us great annoyance. But 
I will now let him rest awhile. 

The King was still dangerously ill owing to the dropsy. 
He suffered terribly, for his legs had burst, and the water 
poured from them. As he was rapidly getting worse, he 
determined that my sister Sophie's marriage to the Margrave 
of Schwedt should take place at once, and the marriage 
service was performed on the 17th January at his bedside. 
An abscess having formed on his leg, the doctors resolved to 

BB 



370 MEMOIRS OF THE 



open it. The operation was long and painful, but the King 
hore it with heroic patience. He had a looking glass 
brought so that he might be better able to observe what the 
surgeons were doing. My brother wrote to me each day the 
post left, and told me the King could not last twenty-four 
hours. He had however been mistaken ; the dropsy became 
less, and thanks to the skill of the surgeons, he made a mar- 
vellous recovery. It was considered a miracle. All my 
sisters went to Berlin to congratulate him on his improved 
health. I was obliged to send him my good wishes in 
writing, as I was unable to leave the Margrave in his present 
state. 

Ill as he was, the Margrave insisted on inaugurating his 
new order. All the knights of the order were present. He 
lay in bed, and there received the homage of his Court. 
This order consists of a white cross, with the red eagle, which 
is the family order, in the middle of it. The order is worn 
round the neck attached to a red ribbon with a gold border. 
The star is of silver, with the red eagle, in the centre sm*- 
rounded by the motto, "Upright and constant," in Latin. I 
gave a great banquet, and a ball, which, however, lasted only 
half an hour. 

I was much distressed at this time by a letter from the 
Duchess of Brunswick, announcing the death of her husband, 
who had succeeded to the throne only a year. I mourned his 
loss most truly, and have ever remained his wife's firm 
devoted friend. His son Prince Charles now became Duke. 
It was a great piece of good fortune for my sister, that is, if 
one can call the death of so excellent a Prince a lucky event, 
as she found herself a reigning sovereign two years after 
her marriage. 

Meanwhile, the Margrave's illness became so dangerous, 
that he was advised to consult a celebrated doctor from 
Erfurt. The physician that had replaced Gokel was named 
Zeitz, and was clever and more scientific than his predecessor. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 371 

but his treatment was as absurd. He was also a bad man, 
without religion of any kind, so that no control whatever 
could be exercised over him. A blind faith is not given to 
everj^one, indeed it will often be found that those who live 
the most moral lives are not always those who have most 
faith. Yet a " crooked head " that has no faith is a danger- 
ous member of society. Most people do not really know 
what they believe, and do without religion because it does 
not agree with their nature ; others again, because it is the 
fashion, and some in order to be well thought of by those 
cleverer than themselves. I greatly disapprove of these 
strong-minded people, yet I cannot condemn those who are 
searching for truth in the hope of getting rid of old pre- 
judices. Indeed I am of opinion that thoughtful people 
must be good; for those that search after truth learn to 
judge rightly, and in judging rightly must appreciate virtue. 
My reflections have led me away from my narrative, and I 
must now take up its thread again. 

M. Juch, the doctor who had been sent for from Erfurt, 
told the Margrave quite honestly that he could not recover, 
and that he had only a few more weeks to live. Zeitz, on 
the contrary, disagreed with this opinion, and declared he 
would cure him. The Margrave believed this assertion, as 
was but natural, for we always like to believe what we wish 
for. My father-in-law accordingly continued with his works 
at Himmelscron. 

When the Princess of East Friesland heard of her father's 
serious condition, she at once started for Baireuth. This 
troubled the Hereditary Prince and myself very much, as she 
might cause us endless annoyance should she induce her 
father to make a will in favour of her and her sister. 
Mademoiselle Flora von Sonnsfeld however was able to make 
the Margrave believe that the sight of his daughter would 
upset him too much, and that she might prefer requests to 
him that would not be in the interest of his country, and which 

BB 2 



372 MEMOIRS OF THE 



he would "be imable to refuse without appearing to act 
harsUy. In one word, slie managed so cleverly, that the 
Margrave sent ofi a messenger begging the Princess not to 
come. 

The Margrave's affection for Mademoiselle Mora von 
Sonnsfeld continued as great as ever. She nobly kept the 
promise she had made me, and informed me of all her inter- 
views with my father-in-law. Things would have gone 
badly with us but for her help, for the Margrave treated us 
"like dogs." We bore it all patiently, hoping that better 
days were nigh at hand. I in particular endured all the ill 
treatment with resignation, and I must do the Hereditary 
Prince full justice, for I never heard him murmur against 
his father, or speak of him with anything but the greatest 
respect, save on one sole occasion when the Margrave wanted 
to strike him. My husband was well aware of his father's 
dangerous state, and as he had little knowledge of business, 
had daily secret interviews with M. von Yoit on matters 
connected with the affairs of the Principality. I knew the 
Hereditary Prince's character thoroughly, and was well 
aware that he would not allow himself to be led. I had 
fully determined not to interfere in anything. I had a 
mortal hatred of intrigues, but was equally determined that 
every respect should be paid me, and that no one should 
meddle with my own affairs. I do not know whether M. von 
Yoit told the Prince I wished to guide and influence him, 
but I could not but observe that my husband was no longer 
as candid and open with me as formerly. This troubled me, 
although I did not let it be noticed. 

One day Mademoiselle von Marwitz said to me, " The 
Hereditary Prince is still too lively to go thoroughly into 
all the details of the government. I am sure your Eoyal 
Highness will be obliged to help him. He is still so yoimg, 
knows nothing about these things, and has no experience. I 
fear he ^ill make many mistakes if he does not follow youi- 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 373 

advice." *' I assure you," I answered, " you are quite 
mistaken, my dear friend. I shall not interfere in anything, 
and you may be quite certain that the Prince will not ask 
me for advice." She was much surprised at my reply. As 
we were speaking together the Hereditary Prince came into 
the room, and Mademoiselle von Marwitz repeated to him 
our whole conversation and the answer I had made her. He 
said nothing, but was very cold in his manner towards me. 
I thought this change was due to the many grave matters 
with which he was occupied, for up to this time he had never 
had any secrets from me. He had always told me his inmost 
thoughts, but had never confided his views about the future 
to me, and I for my part had never troubled about them. 

One day as we were sitting at dinner, we were sent for in 
hot haste to the Margrave, who was said to be at the point 
of death. We found him sitting in an arm-chair, unable to 
breathe, and with the pulse of a dying man. He looked at 
us all without saying a word. A clergyman had been sent 
for, a step which seemed at first to displease him. He spoke 
most touchingly to the Margrave. He told him he would 
soon have to appear before Grod, to answer for all his 
actions, that he must bow to Grod's will, and the Almighty 
would show him mercy, and give him strength to meet death 
with courage. " I have been just, I have been charitable 
towards the poor," my father-in-law answered, " I have 
fulfilled the duties of my station, I have nothing to reproach 
myself with, and can appear with confidence before Grod's 
judgment seat ! " " We are all sinners," the clergyman 
replied, " even the most just on earth have sinned seven 
times, and we too after having tried to do our utmost, are 
useless creatures." We observed that these remarks annoyed 
the Margrave, for he repeated in an excited tone, *' No, I 
have nothing to reproach myself with, and my people can 
mourn my loss as that of a father." He remained silent 
for a few moments, and after that begged us to leave him. 



374 me:n[oirs of the 



He was tlieii put to bed again, and we were greatly surprised 
to hear in the evening he was much better. He had 
scolded his servants for having made such a to-do, and above 
all for having sent for the clergyman. IMy father-in-law 
seemed to improve for a short while, but again on the 6th of 
May grew so much worse that Zeitz himself, who had always 
said he would recover, now pronounced his sentence of death. 
The Margrave became very thoughtful, and desired he might 
be left quite alone and undisturbed all that day. His 
weakness was very great. 

Next morning he sent for the Hereditary Prince and 
myself. He exhorted his son in a long speech how he was 
to govern his country. He told me he had always 
loved me, and entreated me to remind my husband daily of 
his moral and other duties as reigning sovereign, and of 
those principles he had just laid dov>TL for his guidance. He 
wished me everything that was best in this world, and 
begged me to accept the snuff-box he gave me as a remem- 
brance of him. After that we both knelt down, and he gave 
us his blessing and embraced us. We were crying bitterly. 
His words had touched me so deeply that had it been in my 
power I would willingly have prolonged his life. My father- 
in-law asked me not to see him again till the end came, 
adding, " I entreat youi- Eoyal Highness to grant me this 
favour." He then sent for my daughter, to whom he also 
gave his blessing. He took leave of my ladies, each in turn, 
but not of Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld, who was ill. All 
the heads of the different State departments were called 
next. The Margrave spoke to them all, impressing on each 
his responsibility towards the State, and repeating much the 
same as he had said to the clergyman. In conclusion he 
exhorted them to be faithful and devoted to their new 
sovereign, and bade them a last farewell. He had the 
strength of mind to take leave of his whole Court, from the 
first Minister of State do^n to the most humble of his 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 375 

servants. It touched me mucli, but I must nevertheless 
confess there was too much show about it all. The Mar- 
grave was at great pains to impress on everyone what 
great services he had rendered his country. It will be 
seen he had never really thought of death, but had gone 
through the whole ceremony for the sake of effect. He was 
so weak after it that he begged to be left alone. 

The doctors told us that his death might take place any 
moment. In order to be near at hand, and also to be able 
to keep our promise to him, we took up our position in a 
room next that in which he lay, and sat watching there all 
night. 

As my father-in-law felt much weaker next day, he sent 
for the Hereditary Prince, and in the presence of the Council 
of State, made over the Grovernment to him, begging at the 
same time that he might no longer be troubled with business 
of any kind. He repented of it as soon as he had done so, 
and could not help reproaching my husband each time he 
saw him. He even enquired whether the Hereditary Prince 
had already issued any orders, adding that he supposed he 
was in perfect bhss at being at last his own master. The 
Margrave was told with perfect truth that the Hereditary 
Prince had sworn not to give an order, or to transact any 
business, as long as his father was still living. 

My father-in-law's illness lasted till the 16th May, when 
we were suddenly summoned. It was nine o'clock in the 
evening. We found everyone assembled in the Margrave':^ 
sitting-room, and all were praying. We heard the death- 
rattle in his throat, and he was in fearful suffering. He said 
to my husband, " Dear son, I am suffocating : I can bear this 
pain no longer, it drives me to despair " ; and then he 
screamed aloud. It was terrible to hear him. Three times 
he lost consciousness, and three times he regained it. He 
spoke up to the last moment, and died at last on the 17th 
May, at half -past six in the morning. 



376 MEMOIKS OF THE 



I had never been more overcome in my life. I had never 
seen anyone die, and it had made snch an impression on me, 
that it was long ere I got over it. The Hereditary Prince was 
in great despair, and it was with much trouble that we per- 
suaded him to leave his father's room and go to his own. 
The whole Court had followed him there. As soon as my 
husband had somewhat recovered, M. von Yoit told him it 
was necessary for the Council of State to be appointed and 
sworn in. The Margrave hesitated for a moment, and made 
no reply. He then took me aside and asked me my opinion. 
I told him honestly I did not think there was such pressing 
haste. His father had scarcely been dead an hour, and it 
seemed to me we ought to show some respect, and not appear so 
anxious at once to assume the government. By postponing 
the business to the next day, he would gain time and be 
able to consider carefully whom he wished to appoint. My 
husband followed my advice. We were both greatly fatigued, 
for we had been up and watching all night, and my health 
besides was most indifferent. In order to escape the impor- 
tunities of these gentlemen, the Margrave lay down and 
rested for a few hours. So much pressure was however put 
on him as to the necessity of the immediate appointment of 
the Ministers of State, that my husband settled the matter. 
The Council of State (or Privy Council) consisted of Baron 
Stein, Yoit, Dobenek, Hessberg, Lauterbach, and Thomas. 

The mourning and the funeral were then decided on, and 
the Margrave was made to believe that the Council must 
settle all these things. My husband, who was quite inex- 
perienced in such matters, was obliged to trust to what was 
told him. These gentlemen met for three consecutive weeks, 
and did nothing else but settle about the cloth which was to 
be bought, although that was a matter which belonged to 
the Lord Chamberlain's office. The Council soon made 
itself quite intolerable, particularly M. von Yoit. This man 
owed me much gratitude, for I had always strenuously 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 377 

supported him during my father-in-law's lifetime. He was 
my Lord Chamberlain, and the duties of his office required 
him to come and see me at least once every day. He did 
not do so, nor did he send an excuse, and this conduct made 
me extremely angry with him. The late Margrave lay in 
state, and his funeral took place on the 31st May. He was 
interred at Himmelscron in a vault he had himself built for 
that purpose. On the 1st of June we went into deep 
mourning, which was to be worn for a whole year. The 
same day I held a reception in order to receive the condolence 
of the entire Court. There was also for the first time a great 
public dinner. As all this show of mourning and the atten- 
dant ceremonies were very wearisome to us, we went to the 
Brandenburger for some weeks. 

M. von Yoit came one day to see me, and told me he had 
become aware that I was displeased with him because he did 
not more punctually perfoim his duties as Lord Chamberlain. 
He said he was very busy, and had scarcely a free moment 
to himself. He added that the Council of State had not 
forgotten me, and had determined to apply for an increase 
of my income, and that he did not doubt that the Margrave 
would grant it. This speech made me extremely angry. I 
answered very coldly, " If I require my income increased I 
^ill myself ask the Margrave to increase it. I am very 
grateful to you for your kind intentions, but shall not 
trouble you to speak for me, as I shall take that duty on 
myself." He seemed much put out, and said he thought it 
could not be very pleasant to ask for a favour for one's self. 
"Yet still more unpleasant, Sir," I replied, "if asked for 
through another person. In order that you may at once 
understand my position, I wish to tell you I would not 
accept an increase of my income even if the Margrave 
offered it to me. His finances have suffered too much from 
the great expenses he has had without my causing him 
more. At the same time, Sir, I should wish to owe to him 



378 ^lEMOZRS 0? TH 



anv adTjui^icis^'es I i:iiiii, c:h.erAise laiev ^ould afford me but 
little satisfactLorL"' 

I at once observed tliat the members of the Council 
inten'ied placing me in the same position as my sister of 
Ans^iili- She was always obliged to appeal for aid to a 
third person when she wished to obtain anything from her 
husband. The coldness with which the MargraTe treated 
me, together with the feeling I had, tronbled me much. I 
went to mj room with Mademoiselle von Sonnsf eld and con- 
fided mj fears to her, crying bitterly. She shrugged her 
shoulders, and said she shared my fears, and that the Conneil 
had clearly shown their intention of alone ruling the Mar- 
graTe. In order to attain this end, ^e said, they must 
begin by getting me nnder control Thej occupied tjiem- 
sdres chiefly with trifles, and wished to meddle in the 
smallest details, whilst they neglected more important matters. 
She entreated me to speak with the Margrave, and to open 
his eyes. She wonld meanwhile try and lead the conversa- 
tion towards that topic, so as to prepare him somewhat for 
what I should say. I at first declined to follow her advice : 
she had however so many good reasons to give me, that I at 
last decided to do as she snggested. 

I really did speak to the Margrave, but he took it very ill. 
and said many hard things to me. I am very quick tem- 
pered, but can control myself up to a certain point. I am a 
woman, and like other women have my weaknesses. I had a 
dreadful quarrel with my husband, and was in such despair 
that I fainted away. I was put to bed, and was attacked 
with such difficulty in breathing, that those around me feared 
for my Hfe. The Mai^rave was at once sent for. My state 
touched him deeply, and he was in the greatest anxiety about 
me. We made excuses to each other, and after a long 
explanation, he told me that he had been set against me. 

My husband begged my pardon over and over again. I 
promised him I would never interfere or meddle in anything. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 879 

and trusted tie would never tolerate miscliief being made 
between us, and my being lowered in bis estimation. The 
Margrave replied that nothing would make him happier than 
my continuing to be as natural and open with him as of old, 
and he begged me always candidly to tell him my thoughts and 
opinions. He promised me he would on his part never have 
any secrets from me. Our conversation resulted in our being 
even greater friends than before. He asked my advice about 
everything, and I told him I had rarely known anyone that 
would less allow himself to be ruled than himself. By 
giving his Council of State such power he would become a 
tool in its hands, a position from which he would find it 
most difficult to extricate himself. He would then be driven 
to violent measures, in order to make the Council understand 
its proper place. I begged him to remember his father's last 
words and recommendations, namely to keep his Ministers 
within bounds, to listen to their advice, but to weigh 
it well before he followed it. Having reflected on what I 
had said, my husband asked me, " But what shall I do ? I 
must trust them : I know nothing of the business of the 
State. I have myself told them I wished them to occupy 
themselves with graver matters, and not waste their time in 
troubling over trifling details. They, however, answered me 
that they could not do everything at once." 

Col. von Beitzenstein had been sent to Berlin, and M. 
von Hessberg to Denmark. The finances were in such a 
deplorable state, that I was obliged to use a capital of six 
thousand thalers,* which I had invested, to pay the expenses 
of these two missions. I made the Margrave a present of 
that sum. If I could have given him pleasure even at the 
sacrifice of my life, I would gladly have done so. He, on 
his part, showed me every possible respect, and repaid my 
affection by equal love. He had so good a heart, that he 



£900. 



380 MEMOIRS OF THE 



could neTer make up his mind to say an unkind word to 
anrone, far less to refuse anv favour asked of him. Tliis 
excessive kindness was the cause of many an annoyance, 
and the reason of his leaving the Court in the same con- 
dition as he found it. All those who were devoted to him 
advised him to get rid of all known mischief-makers and 
lovers of intrigues, but he could not decide to do so. !My 
husband neglected none of the duties he owed his lat« 
father, and did not dismiss a single old servant. He showed 
the greatest magnanimity to those who had sown disunion 
between him and his father, and if anyone sp>oke to hi m on 
the subject, he answered, '"I have forgotten the past, and 
wish everyone in my country to be happy and contented.'' 

The gentlemen composing the Council of State were much 
dissatisfied with the generosity the Margrave displayed 
towards his father's old servants. They sent to me M. von 
Yoit, who arrived breathless, with their complaints. I never 
listened to a more insolent speech than his. " The Margrave 
is doing unheard of things," he said to me, " in appointing 
people to departments and posts, without first asking the 
advice of his Council." He then struck the fioor with his 
stick, exclaiming, '• He is not empowered to dismiss or 
appoint even a kitchenmaid without our leave. 'SVe shall 
go in a body to the Margrave, and represent to him that we 
consider ourselves not treated with proper respect." I 
answered that I should not interfere, and that they could do 
whatever seemed best to them. My husband, who was 
talking to Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld in the next room, 
heard all that Yoit had said, and would have told him what 
he thought of it had she not prevented him. 

As soon as Yoit had left me, my husband entered the 
room, greatly excited, and vowing he woidd dismiss all the 
members of the Council. After awhile I succeeded in paci- 
fying him. He now recognized the truth of my previous 
speeches, and decided on seeking the assistance of a man who 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 381 

had formerly been liis father's secretary. He was named 
Ellerot, and was as clever as could be. The late Margrave had 
trusted him blindly, and had greatly respected him on account 
of his perfect honesty. My husband, who remembered 
EUerot's great knowledge of all matters connected with the 
State, thought he could not do better than obtain his help in 
resisting the overbearing conduct of his Council. Ellerot soon 
made the Margrave acquainted with all the business, and 
informed him of all his father's plans. 

My health now really began slightly to improve. As we 
had no better doctor, we were obliged to keep Zeitz. He 
made me take goat's milk and seltzer water, and recom- 
mended as much exercise as possible. I learned to use a gun, 
and accompanied my husband nearly every evening when he 
went out shooting. As I was still too weak to walk much, 
my husband had a carriage made for me from which I could 
conveniently fire. I really did this more by way of passing 
the time than to kill the poor animals. I did not care 
about shooting, and abandoned it as soon as I found other 
occupation. What I cared for passionately was the study 
of the sciences, music, and the pleasures of cultivated society. 
I could not have as much of these as I wished. My health 
prevented my occupying myself as much as formerly, and 
the music and society I had were not of the best. 

The campaign on the Ehine took the same turn as the 
last year's. The time was spent in eating and drinking. 

Twelve thousand Bussian soldiers, who were to join the 
Imperial troops, marched through the upper Palatinate. "We 
arranged to see them on their way. Before starting, we 
received M. von Polnitz, who had been sent by the King to 
express his sympathy with us at the death of the late 
Margrave. 

This personage has made enough stir in the world to 
oblige me to mention him specially. He is the author of 
the memoirs which appeared in his name. The King had 



'i82 MEMOIRS OF THE 



had them read aloud to him, and was so much pleased with 
the account given of the Berlin Court, that he expressed a 
wish to see the author again. Polnitz was at that time 
living at Vienna under the Empress' especial protection. He 
came to Berlin, where he managed to ingratiate himself with 
the King and ohtain a salary of fifteen hundred thalers* from 
him. I had known Polnitz very well in my youth. He 
was extremely clever and weU read, and his conversation was 
most agreeahle. Although his heart was not bad, he had no 
knowledge of the world, and no right judgment. He con- 
stantly sinned from inadvertent hastiness. He was clever 
enough to retain the King's favour as long as he Hved, and 
my father stood by him to the last. We liked Polnitz very 
much, and the time passed pleasantly in his society. He 
accompanied us to a monastery, where we spent the night. 
We stayed there in order to see the Eussian troops, who were 
to pass next morning through a small town close by called 
Yielseck. 

We started quite early, and dined at Yielseck. When 
Greneral Keith, who commanded the division, heard we were 
there, he sent us a guard of honour composed of light 
infantry. They all had boots on, and in our honour wore 
gaiters over them. I never saw anything funnier than their 
dress, which appeared still more singular to me, accustomed 
as I was to the neatness and smartness of the Prussian troops. 
Greneral Keith came at once to pay us his respects. He was 
an Irishman, very civil, and possessing great knowledge of 
character. He asked us to wait a few moments, as he wished 
his troops to be drawn up in battle order. The soldiers were 
very small, badly dressed, and quite wanting in smartness. 
The General granted me the lives of two deserters who were 
to have been hung. He had them brought before me, and 
they threw themselves down at my feet, knocking their heads 



£225. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 383 

with such violence on the ground, that I am certain had they 
been other than Eussian, they must have been broken. I 
also saw their priest, who made many profound bows, at the 
same time expressing his regret that he had not brought his 
images with him in my honour. This nation really some- 
what resembles the animals, for they drank out of the puddles, 
and ate poisonous mushrooms and grass without taking any. 
harm. As soon as they reached their quarters, the soldiers 
almost crept into the stoves, and having got into a fearful 
state of heat, threw themselves into cold water, where they 
remained for some time. They declare that this is the best 
way of preserving the health. We took leave of Greneral 
Keith and went back, to our monastery, whence we afterwards 
returned to the Brandenburger. 

I have forgotten to mention that my birthday was cele- 
beated on the 3rd August. The Margrave had made me 
presents of some beautiful jewels, an increase to my income, 
and the Hermitage. The addition to my income I accepted 
only the following year. I spent the whole month of August 
in having the roads leading to the Hermitage mended, and 
making new ones. I drove there daily and amused myself in 
forming plans for increasing the beauty and comfort of the 
place. 

At this time too we received a pleasant addition to our 
society in the person of M. von Baumont, Major of the 
Margrave's Imperial regiment, and Count Borkhausen, a 
captain in the same regiment. The latter was the nephew 
of my Grovemess, for whose maintenance the Margrave, 
Avho was much attached to him, had hitherto provided. 
He was very clever, but most imprudent. His father, a 
most respectable man, belonging to one of the oldest Silesian 
lamihes, had found it possible to run through a fortune of 
four hundred thousand thalers,* make debts besides, and 

* £60,000. 



384 MEMOIRS OF THE 



thereby entirely ruined his children. These lived in Silesia, 
supported by friends and my G-overness. Count Borkhausen, 
since I had married, had often come to Baireuth. He was 
desperately in love with his cousin, Mademoiselle von 
Marwitz, who however treated him with a haughty coldness 
that drove him distracted, and caused him to commit many 
follies which did him much harm. I shall again have occa- 
sion to mention this love affair, as it is intimately connected 
with the course of this narrative. 

My Governess also let her two other nieces Marwitz come 
to Baireuth, the elder named Albertine, the younger Caroline. 
I shall always mention them by their Christian names to 
distinguish them from their eldest sister. The younger had 
scarcely been a fortnight at Baireuth before she made a 
conquest. She was very pretty, with a lovely complexion, 
and most gentle winning manners. 

As soon as the Margrave succeeded to the throne he had 
added to my Court. Count Schonburg became my Chamber- 
lain, and a certain M. von Westerhagen, Gentleman-usher. 
Schonburg was the son of a reigning Count of the Empire. 
His father, who was still living, was very rich. All the young 
ladies of Baireuth vied with one another in trying to make 
a conquest of Schonburg, but all in vain : Caroline's beauti- 
ful eyes had enchained his afcections. He was passionately 
in love with her, and she entertained a high regard for him. 
They became intimate friends, and I shall mention later the 
results of this friendship. 

As regards Mademoiselle von Marwitz, I loved her dearly, 
and we had no secrets from each other. Indeed I think 
there never existed such perfect confidence as between us : 
she could not live without me, nor I mthout her. She 
asked my advice in everji;hing she did, and won the appro- 
bation of everyone. 

"We went into the Park, where the Margrave intended 
to shoot stags. It was but an hour's distance fi'om the 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 385 



town, and as only a select party was invited, we amused our- 
selves extremely. We liad a ball every day, and danced six , 
hours in a very badly paved ball, so that we made our feet 
quite sore. The exercise did me much good, and we were in 
the best of spirits. The Margrave loved society and amuse- 
ment. His refined, courteous manners endeared him to all^ 
and we lived in perfect harmony. 

Peace seemed returning everywhere. The negotiations 
between the Emperor and France had commenced, and peace 
was concluded during the winter. The Spaniards retained 
possession of Naples and Sicily, which they had taken from 
the Emperor. The Duke of Lorraine gave up his Duchy 
to France, and received in exchange the Grrand Duchy 
of Tuscany. France and Spain joined in the Pragmatie 
Sanction. In this manner peace was restored to Germany. 

The Margrave had not yet received the homage of his 
subjects, and this ceremony, which took place on. our return td 
Baireuth, was to be repeated at Erlangen. The Bishop of 
Bamberg and Wiirzberg, who was at this moment residing 
in his beautiful country seat of Pommersfelden close to 
Erlangen, invited us there, as well as the Margrave and 
Margravine of Anspach, hoping by that means to bring about 
a better understanding between us. ^ >.: 

M. von Bremer, the Margrave of Anspach's former 
Grovernor, was at Baireuth. I gave :him a kind niessage for 
my sister, and asked him to tell her that the Bishop was very 
proud, and would make ridiculous pretentions as to the titles 
we should give him. I was therefore certain that we should, 
have some fuss on the subject. As we were sisters, and each 
of us had the same rights and observed the same etiquette, I 
proposed that we should come to an understanding as to these 
points. I was of opinion that as the eyes of the whole world 
-^would be upon us, we should be very particular in not giving 
up even the least of our privileges. I should be glad to hear 
from her what she thought on the subject. M. von Bremer 

CO 



386 MEMOIRS OP THE 



entirely approved of my suggestion. "We gave tlie title of 
"Ihr Liebden,"* which is less distinguished than that of 
"Highness," only given to Bishops and newly-created 
Princes of the Empire. The Bishop wished for a higher 
title, and to he called " Your Grrace," and declined to call us 
" Eoyal Highnesses." I heard all this through a third 
person, and might have asked for an explanation. I was 
however advised to leave matters alone, as I was assured that 
the Bishop would soon find his proper level. 

M. von Bremer went to Anspach, and brought me a very 
satisfactory reply from my sister. She would do just as I 
thought right, and quite approved of all I had suggested 
through M. von Bremer. I have always insisted on re- 
taining my rights and privileges as a king's daughter, and 
the Margrave has always supported me in this. In this 
present instance I had his entire approval. He has often 
said he thought but little of those who themselves forgot 
what they themselves were. We started in November, and 
spent the night at Baiersdorf, and next day made our entry 
into Erlangen. Triumphal arches had been erected. The 
magistrates received us at the gates of the town with an 
address, and handed the keys to the Margrave. The towns- 
folk and the Militia lined the streets. The Margrave and I. 
drove in a State carriage. As we were in mourning we were 
much bored by the many speeches we were forced to listen to 
during that day. 

Next day the ceremony of " doing homage " took place. 
There was a great banquet, and a reception in the evening. 
"We stayed several days at Erlangen, and then went to 
Pommersfeld, which we reached at five o'clock in the evening. 
The Bishop, surrounded by his Court, received us at the foot 
of the stairs. After the first compliments had been ex- 
changed he presented to me his sister-in-law, the Countess 



This title has no English equivalent. 



MARGRA.VINE OF BAIREUTH. 387 

von Schonbrimn, and Hs niece of the same name, who was 
xlbbess of Wurzburg. " I beg your Eoyal Highness to look 
on them as your servants," he said. " I have asked them to 
come expressly for the purpose of performing the duties of 
hostesses in my house." I was particularly courteous to- 
wards these ladies. The Bishop afterwards led me to my 
rooms. When we reached it he had chairs brought, and 
begged me to seat myself in an armchair, and the conversa- 
tion was becoming animated when the two Countesses 
entered the room. I felt some surprise at missing my 
Groverness, but did not let it be apparent. In order to 
leave the room I pleaded the great disorder of my dress, 
upon which the Bishop and also the two ladies rose and 
left. 

As soon as I was alone I sent for my ladies, and asked 
Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld why she had not followed me. 
" Because I did not wish to expose myself to being insulted," 
she replied. "These Countesses treated me like a dog: 
they never deigned to speak to me, and passed by me without 
even looking at me. Had it not been for the assistance of 
one of the gentlemen of the Court, I should not have found 
your rooms." " I am very glad to know this," I said, " for 
the Margrave promised me that my privileges should be 
respected." I knew quite well that my Governess gives 
precedence only to the reigning Countesses of the Empire, 
for, as she is not one, she cannot claim to rank before them. 

The Margrave told me to speak to Yoit about what had 
happened. In his position as my Lord Chamberlain, it was 
his business to make representations in my name on the 
subject. I therefore sent for him, and told him my inten- 
tions. M. von Yoit was the greatest coward on earth, always 
full of fears and scruples. He pulled a long face. " Your 
Eoyal Highness scarcely appreciates the gravity of the 
message with which you have entrusted me," he said. " We 
are assembled here for the piu^ose of uniting the different 

CO 2 



388 MEMOIRS OF THE 



members of Franconiaii society. Is tins, tlieref ore^ a suitable 
moment to enter into a dispute witb people ? The Bisbop will 
treat tbe matter with a very bigb hand. He will be offended^ 
and insist on having his own way. If you on the other 
hand persist in the matter, it will become a State question." 
I laughed aloud, " A State question ? "Well ! all the better 
then. Ladies have never before been concerned in such 
matters, it is something quite new." The Margrave looked 
compassionately at him and shrugged his shoulders. " That 
may be as you like," I added, " I must still ask you to let 
the Bishop know, I have such respect for him that I should 
be grieved to offend him, but that he ought to have taken 
better precautions to avoid all such difficulties. As he was 
brought up at the Court of Yienna, he must know the rights 
belonging to a king's daughter. Although I considered it 
an honour to have married the Margrave, I am nevertheless 
determined not to surrender one iota of what is due to 
me." M. von Yoit made many objections, but the Mar- 
grave bade him bestir himself, as it was late, and it was 
necessary that the matter should be put straight at once. 

M. von Yoit spoke in my name to the Bishop's Master of 
the Horse, Baron von Eothenhahn, and, after much talk, it 
was settled that the Countesses should take their departure 
immediately after my sister's arrival. Matters had scarcely 
been settled when the Court of Anspach arrived. I sent at 
once to my sister, saying I would coihe and see her as soon 
as she wa_s alone. I was not bound to call first on her. 
My being the eldest by birth gave me precedence of all my 
other sisters, and the Margrave also - ranked before the Mar- 
grave of Anspach. I had, therefore, double privileges ; bui 
as we were of the same blood, I never assert them. 
My sister let me know she would come to me, which she did 
a few moment^, later, accompanied by her husband. I 
thought them both very cold in their manner. My sister 
was expecting to be confined, and when I expressed my joy 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 389 

to lier at her prospects she took it very ill, and answered me 
very shortly. I asked her what I had done, but she wonld 
give me no answer. As the Bishop entered my rooms, she 
slipped away to her own, where she had the gentlemen 
belonging to the Bishop's Court presented to her. She 
mentioned the two Countesses, and gave it to be understood 
that she disapproved of my conduct, that she was not proud 
as I was, and that, had she been there she would not 
have tolerated what had taken place. All expressed their 
dissatisfaction at her behaviour. 

We fetched her for dinner, when I had the place of honour 
given me. My sister would not sit near me, but placed the 
Bishop between us, and addressed him constantly as " Your 
Highness," in spite of our former agreement. I meanwhile 
adhered to my determination. I showed the Bishop and his 
Court every possible civility and attention which lay in my 
power. It is time I should give an account of him. 

The Schonbrunn family are acknowledged to be one of 
the oldest and the most glorious in Grermany. The Empire 
has had many Electors and Bishops from among that family. 
The Bishop of whom I here speak was educated in Vienna. 
His cleverness and abilities caused him to be made Chancellor 
of the Empire, whioh position he held for some time. When 
the sees of Bamberg and Wlirzburg became vacant • by the 
death of the Bishops, the Court of Vienna took this oppor- 
tunity of rewarding the Chancellor's services. It managed 
to bribe the voters, by which means he was elected Prince and 
Bishop of these two sees. He was held, and rightly so, to be 
a genius and a great politician. His character is in accordance 
with the last-named, for he was deceitful, refined, and false, 
but with courteous manners. His cleverness was not of an 
agreeable kind, for he was too pedantic. You could never- 
theless get on very well with him when you once knew him, 
especially so if you took advantage of his great learning. I 
was fortunata enough to meet with his approbation, and we 



590 :memoirs of the 



often spent four or five honi's conversing alone together, the 
time seeming to pass very quickly. He told me many interest- 
ing circumstances, which were all new to me. There was no 
subject which we did not discuss. 

As soon as dinner was over I accompanied my sister to 
her room, and the Bishop then took me to mine. It was 
"bitterly cold. I lay down at once and soon went to sleep. I 
had hardly been asleep an hour when the Alargrave woke 
me saying that they were trying to break open the door into 
my room. The door led into a passage in which a Hussar 
was posted as sentinel. I Hstened, and when I heard some 
one working at the door I gently called my people, telling 
them to go and see what was the matter, and they really 
found the Hussar engaged in trying to force the door. He 
begged the Margrave to show him mercy, and for God's sake 
not to expose him, which my husband was generous enough 
to promise him. 

Xext morning, as soon as I was up, I went over the whole 
castle, which is large. The main building stands alone 
between the two wings, which are not connected ^ith it. 
Its shape is square, and at a distance it appears to be a solid 
mass of stone. Its exterior has many faults, but once 
within the courtyard your first impression undergoes an 
entire change, and you become aware of the vastness of its 
structure. A flight of six steps leads up to a low portico, 
which much spoils the appearance of the castle, and by which 
you enter. Here a fijie staircase directs your attention to 
the great height of the building, its vaulted roof, nowhere 
supported, seeming to depend on its own balance. This 
joof is painted on chalk. The balustrade of the staircase is 
of white marble, and decorated with statues. The stairs 
lead up to a large haU with a marble floor, and thence you 
pass into a large room, much gilt and hung vrith. pictures. 
Amongst these are works of celebrated masters — Rubens, 
Guido Eeni, Paul Yeronese, &c. Yet I did not admire the 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 391 

whole arrangement of the room, which reminded me more of 
a chapel. This room led to a succession of others, all con- 
taining pictures. One of them is hung with leather, which 
is of great value, as there are paintings by Raphael on it. 
The picture gallery was the finest part of the castle. Here 
lovers of painting could satisfy their artistic passion. As I 
love this art dearly I spent several hours in admiring the 
pictures. 

On this day as well as the next I dined alone with my 
sister, our two Mistresses of the E.ohes, and two ladies from 
Anspach, because the Margrave went out shooting each day 
with the Bishop, and returned home only at five in the 
afternoon. As I spent the whole day with my sister, who 
sulked, I found the time pass very slowly. After the Princes 
had returned, we all assembled in the large room to listen to 
what was called a " Serenade." This " Serenade " is a 
selection from some opera. The music was horrible. After 
this we went to supper, and got to bed dead tired at three 
o'clock in the morning. 

An expedition was proposed to us, which sounded very 
." spiritual." We were to go to Bamberg, dine there, and 
visit the churches. I let my sister know that if she went 
I would also go, if on the other hand she would rather 
not I would stay at home to keep her company. She sent 
me word she should much like to go to Bamberg, and that I 
was therefore to accept the proposed expedition. As the 
Princes were going to shoot near Bamberg, they would join 
us there for dinner. I was called at seven in the morning, 
and told to dress and get ready to start, as Bamberg was 
a good four hours' journey, and that, as the shooting would 
last but a short while, I should scarcely have time to see 
anything, unless I left early. I got grumblingly out of bed, 
for I was ill, and the fatigues and the cold soon upset my 
health. 

As soon as I was ready dressed, I went to my sister's 



-892 >rEMOERS OF TEE 



room, and was greatlT surpiised to find her in bed. She said 
she was indisj'osed, and wonld not go to Bamherg. She 
seemed to have nothing the matter with her. and was sitting 
np m her bed worMng. I told her I should have been glad 
had she let me know this sooner. I had inqnired after her 
health, and was told she was quite well Her Mistress of the 
Eobes, Madame Yon Budenbrok, shrugged her shoulders, and 
hinted to me that it was merely a fit of temper. She induced 
my aster at length to get up and dress.' I never saw anyone 
take a longer time over that operation, for she was at least 
two hours. 

Two splendid State carriages were waiting for us, one of 
which was intended for my sister, the other for myself. I 
asked if we should not drive together, and on her declining 
to do so, I asked her to get iato her carriage. She exclaimed, 
" My goodness, no, you rank before me, I will not get m 
first." ""We are sisters," I replied, "and I never pay 
attention to rank with them, nor wiQ I enter into a dispute 
with them about it." The Bishop's Master of the Horse, who 
was very blunt, now took me by the hand and led me to my 
carriage, saying, '* Here is your Eoyal Highness' carriage, 
have the goodness to get into it." I did so., accompanied by 
Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld, and had not even time to ask 
for my fur cloak. We drove at a foot's-paee, and were 
starved with cold. Our feet and hands were so benumbed 
that we could not move thenu I told the coachman to drive 
faster, which he did, and we reached Bamberg in three hours; 
TTe were led at once to the church, where the priests had 
laid out the reheSj namely a piece of the Holy Cross lq a gold 
box, two jars which had been used at the marriage feast at 
Cana, bones of the Yirgin. a small piec-e of Joseph's coat, 
and the skulls of the Emperor Frederick and the Empress 
Kunigunde, the patrons of Bamberg and founders of its 
Chapter. The Empress' teeth seemed to be of the length of 
those of a wild boar. 



MARGRAVINE OF BATREUTH. 393 

I was SO frozen that I could not walk, so got into the 
carriage again and drove to the castle. I was taken to the 
rooms prepared for me, where I was seized with such pains in 
my limbs, that my ladies undressed me and rubbed me till 
some warmth began to return to my body. 

As soon as my sister arrived I sent to enquire how she felt, 
and excused myself from coming to her. She sent me word 
that as she was very tired she intended lying down and 
getting some sleep, and begged me not to come to her room. 
I sent several times, but was always told that she was resting. 
Thanks to the care of my ladies I soon felt better, and as the 
time seemed very long I began to play at " Toccadille." 

The Princes did not arrive till six o'clock. They dined 
at a special table, whilst our dinner was served in my room. 
When my sister joined me, she looked very cross, and her 
whole Court, her ladies in particular, were very sulky, and 
seemed to take pleasure in making rude speeches. I appeared 
not to observe anything, and behaved as if their conduct 
were beneath my notice. 

After dinner I followed my sister into a small room where 
we had coffee. I then told her that I saw perfectly well that 
she was put out with me, and begged her therefore to tell me 
what was the matter; Had I been unfortunate enough to 
offend her, I should be only too anxious to make amends. 
She answered me very coldly, and said she was not in the least 
annoyed with me, but that she felt ill, and that made her 
cross. She then became very thoughtful and silent. I sat 
down opposite her and imitated her example. The Bishop 
relieved me from this painful position by leading me back 
to my carriage, into which I again got with my Grover- 
ness. "I am in despair," she said to me, "for the devil 
seems let loose amongst the Court of Anspach. They have 
insulted my sister and Mademoiselle von Marwitz in a 
tenible way. Mademoiselle von Zoch has made most 
insolent remark?, and I was only in time to separate them 



394 MEMOIRS OF THE 



before they came to blows. Tbey have dared to say that 
your Royal Highness had ordered the coachman to drive the 
'Margravine of Anspach so fast in order that she might have 
a premature confinement. They are full of lamentations at 
the way in which the Princess had been shaken about." I 
was quite furious when I heard all this, and wished to have 
satisfaction given me for these unjust accusations. My 
Governess however represented to me that I had best leave 
matters alone, to which I at last consented, and behaved as if 
I had not heard anything. 

As my sister would not appear at supper, and I also made 
my excuses to the Bishop, my ladies came and told me the 
whole story. I saw at once that we must behave with 
caution, unless we wished the matter publicly talked about. 
I therefore desired my ladies to let the matter rest, and to 
treat the Anspach ladies with perfect civility, for I knew the 
blame of all this gossip would fall back on them. I had not 
been mistaken, for I found next day that everyone knew the 
story. The Margrave of Anspach was himself furious at the 
things which had been said of me, and expressed his opinion 
to the authors in very angry terms. 

Two days after this we took our departure, and returned 
to Erlangen. I there lost a little Bologna dog I had had 
for nineteen years. He had been my companion in all my 
hours of trial and trouble, and I felt his loss keenly. This race 
of dogs is very clever, and I have seen some so intelligent that 
speech alone seemed wanting to enable them to express theii' 
thoughts. I think Descartes' theory very ridiculous in this 
respect. A dog's fidelity is very precious to me, and I think 
they possess this virtue in a far greater measure than human 
beings, who are capricious and unstable. If I entered more 
minutely into this subject, I could give proofs that animals 
possess as much sense as human beings. However, I am 
writing my memoirs, and not the praises of animals, though 
these remarks may serve as the funeral oration of my dog. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 395 

We stayed a few days at Erlangen, and then returned to 
Baireutli. 

Nothing of importance took place in the year 1736. I 
have already mentioned that peace was concluded between 
the Emperor and France. It was owing to this fact that the 
Austrian troops marched through Grermany, which was a 
most unfavourable circumstance for the Princes of the Empire, 
for they had, most unjustly too, to provide for the troops as 
they marched through the different Principalities. We could 
not, however, alter this, but endeavoured to reap advantages 
from it, and daily received a large number of guests. The 
Austrian officers were, for the most part, very amiable, and 
so were those of their wives whom I saw. We were very 
merry together, and there was a ball every evening. My 
health also began to improve. 

I gave a beautiful fete on the 10th of May, the Margrave's 
birthday, in one of the large rooms of the castle. I had 
arranged a sort of " Parnassus." A very good singer I had 
procured represented Apollo, and nine beautifully dressed 
ladies the Muses. Below the " Parnassus " a stage for the 
audience had been erected. Apollo sang a cantata, in which 
he desired the Muses to celebrate the happy day. These at 
once rose from their seats and danced a ballet. 

Below the stage for the audience a large table was laid for 
fifty people. The rest of the room was decorated with 
symbols and green boughs, and we all represented the other 
gods of Heathendom. I never saw anything finer than this 
fete. Everybody was full of admiration at it. 

Since the Margrave had obtained Ellerot's assistance his 
affairs began to improve* An increase in the income that 
was found was kept secret, as there is no doubt that the gentle- 
men of the Finance Chamber would have endeavoured to 
reap a personal advantage from it. The Margrave dismissed 
all those gentlemen, and appointed others in their place. 
EUerot was, moreover, fortunate enough to discover aU the 



?96 :memoies of the 



debts, and monev tliat had for years been owing to the IXIar- 
grave was now paid. Thus, after struggling with poYertj, 
ive suddenly found onrselves transfomied into rich people. 

This year, which had seen the conclusion of one war, now 
witnessed the commencement of another. Eussia fought 
"with the Turks. She had helped Austria ^ith those twelve 
thousand men only on condition that she might break her 
truce and attack the Turks in Hungary, .111 the Emperor's 
troops began to concentrate themselves there, and one may 
.well date the decline of the Austrian House from that circum- 
stance. 

- About this time the Emperor celebrated the marriage of 
his daughter, the Archduchess !Marie Therese, to the new 
Archduke of Florence. 

The Prince of TVales also was married in this year to the 
Princess of Saxe-Gt^tha. The - King "airanged this marriage, 
in which the afiections of the Prince played no part. The 
Princess was neither handsome nor clever. They lived 
nevertheless very happily together. I must now return to 
my narrative. 

We spent the finest part of the year in the Brandenburger. 
The Margrave was there taken . ill,- being attacked with 
violent headaches and fainting fits, which, however, did not 
prevent his going out, but made me terribly anxious. There 
is no complete happiness in this world- I had everything I 
could wish for, but the fear I was in about this precious life 
destroyed all my feehngs. of satisfaction. The doctors led 
me to apprehend that the attacks my husband suffered from 
were of an apoplectic nature. I was often almost wild with 
despair, and did not know what I did. At last, however, 
my husband's health improved, .and I Avas reheved of my 
anxiety. .) / 

Since my husband's accession lie had endeavoured to w in 
the King and Queen of Denmark^s friendship. As the 
Queen was the daughter of a younger Prince, and received 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 397 

an annuity, she had no dowry. This was a rule in the 
House of Brandenhurg. Other^^ise the annuities and 
doT\iies to be paid would have been endless^ and at last have 
ruined the family. The Queen let the Margrave know that 
if he would give her^a do^Ty, she would endeavour to let 
him reap a fourfold advantage from doing so. The Mar- 
grave, who trusted her promise, agreed to her proposal. 

The King and Queen were to make a stay at Altona, and 
invited the Margrave to eoine there, letting him know that 
the Queen had the intention of showing him her gratitude 
in a most marked manner. Some, business delayed the 
Margrave's departure. The King sent a messenger to tell 
him that he should remain only a fortnight at Altona^ 
and therefore if he mshed to see him he must hasten his 
journey. 

The Margrave started, -intending to travel day and night, 
that he might meet his uncle and the King at Altona. In 
order to reach that town it is necessary to pass through my - 
father's domains, and through Halberstadt, a town only four- 
teen miles from Altona. My husband stopped there in order to 
dine with Greneral Marwitz, and was informed that the King 
was expected there in two or three days to inspect the troops 
in that district. The choice, therefore, now remained to the 
Margrave to see the King of Denmark or the King of 
Prussia. The disagreeables of which the Margrave had to 
complain at the hands of the latter, and the promise he had 
given the former, as well as the advantages which had been 
held out to him, induced him to proceed on his journey. 
He explained to Greneral Marmtz all the reasons that led 
him to act thus, and begged him to explain matters to the 
King. He also asked him to assure my father that should 
he be at Berlin when he returned, he would not fail to come 
there, to pay him his respects. My husband after this con- 
tinued his journey. '■■ 

He left Halberstndt in the afternoon, and reached Bruns- 



398 irEMoms op the 



vrick at noon next day. His old friend the Dnke and my 
sister received him there most kindly. He thence went to 
Zelle, where he found letters from Altona telling him of the 
King of Denmark's dangerous illness. He therefore rested 
there, and arrived a few days later at Altona. 

The Lord Chamherlain and the whole Court received him 
in a house that had been prepared for his reception, as there 
was no room in the King's. The Queen, his uncle and his 
aunt, received him most affectionately. The Queen had been 
very handsome, but constant fatigues and bad health had 
left mere traces of her former beauty. Her mother, the 
IMlargravine of Culm bach, who had never left her since she 
married, ruled her completely, as weU as the King and the 
whole Court. She was very clever, and in order to retain 
her influence she had made the Queen and the Court great 
bigots. As the King was by nature very fond of society 
and amusements, she endeavoured to counteract these 
fancies by making the most innocent things questions of 
conscience. The Duke had many good qualities, but was 
not clever, and in this the Queen had no advantage over 



him, for she was as little intelligent as he was. The !M]ar- 
gravine had therefore no difficulty, and easily persuaded 
them to accept her views. The Court still retained an 
appearance of greatness, but really resembled a monastery, 
where nothing was done but praying all day. ATy 
husband said he had never known the days to pass so 
slowly as there. He was overwhelmed with honours and 
fair words, but of the promises made him none were 
mentioned, and he was glad when he was able to take his 
departure. 

As the King my father had started for Prussia, the Alar- 
grave returned straight to Baireuth, in spite of my brother's 
begging him to await the King's return at Brunswick. I 
received a most disagreeable letter from my brother on the 
subject of the Margrave's journey. It was written in a tone 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 399* 

very different from tliat in which he had ever written to me 
before. It ran as follows : — 

'* I have received your letter, dearest sister. If I am to 
write with my accustomed candour, I must tell you I cannot 
possibly approve of the Margrave's passing only a few miles' 
distance from a place where the King was immediately 
expected, without paying him his respects. To tell the truth, 
it is looked on as a great piece of rudeness on his part, and 
I must confess I am of the same opinion. The Margrave 
can, however, make up for it by coming to Berlin when the 
King of Prussia returns there. I own I am not surprised 
at the King's displeasure at such behaviour. It shows such 
want of respect towards a King who is at the same time his^ 
father-in-law. I doubt very much whether your husband 
wiU ever obtain any advantages at the hands of the King of 
Denmark, and assuredly he will never receive such as those 
he owes the King, inasmuch as he possesses such a treasure 
as yourself. I should have much more to say on this subject, 
but I must content myself with the assurance of being," 
&c., &c. 

Although the concluding words made up somewhat for the 
beginning, I thought the letter very harsh. The expression 
" rudeness " seemed to me very strong, and the whole tone 
struck me as strange. My brother was much changed 
towards me since his return from the Rhine. AU his letters 
were forced, and betrayed a certain shyness, which made me 
feel his heart was no more what it had been. It pained me 
terribly. My tender feelings towards him were unchanged, 
and I was not to blame in any way. I therefore bore it all 
patiently, and trusted in time to regain his love. 

I spent the time of the Margrave's absence very pleasantly 
in the Brandenburger. But can we be quite happy separated 
from those we love ? I was really not thoroughly contented, 



4G0 MEMOIRS OF THE 



but en(ieaYoiu"ed to find distraction rather than pleasure. I 
had very agreeable companions, in whose society I spent my 
time. In the mornings and evenings I occupied myself for 
several hours with reading and with music. 

At the beginning of these memoirs I described Mademoi- 
selle von Grrumkow, and it will have been observed that in - 
addition to her other faults she was a great flirt. She had 
already had several lovers since she had been in my service, 
at which! was greatly displeased. Yet, as she had till now- 
been circumspect in her behaviour, I pretended not to notice 
her flirtations. This girl was most insolent towards me, and 
never appeared in my presence save at meals. She spent all 
her time with M. von Westerhagen, my Gentleman-usher, 
who was desperately in love with her, and gave her beautiful 
presents, which she pretended to have received from her 
father. Although she had no attachment of any kind for 
myself, and took no pleasure in the fulfilment of her duties 
as my lady, she was terribly jealous of Mademoiselle von 
Marwitz, whom she endeavoured to humiliate on every pos- 
sible occasion. I was unable to put a stop to her behaviour 
on aecoimt of her father, but I endeavoured, by broad hints 
which I dropped from time to time, to bring her to reason. 
It was in vain : her passion for Westerhagen got the better 
of her prudence. 

The Margrave returned at length on the 16th July. My 
joy knew no bounds, and he was also very happy to be at 
home again. My birthday was celebrated by a charming 
fete he gave in my honour in a large garden belonging to 
the castle. It had been illuminated with coloured lamps, 
and a stage had been erected in it. The scenery consisted 
of the large lime-trees. Diana and her nymphs appeared on 
the stage, and acted a little pastoral play. Opposite it was 
a raised platform arranged as a saloon, and beautifully 
Hghted from outside. The clay following, this fete we left 
for the Hermitage, which I will now describe. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 401 

The Hermitage is situated on a height reached by means 
of a high road made by the Margrave. On entering the 
Hermitage is seen the home of the Muses on Mount Parnassus, 
a cave supported by four columns, above which Apollo and 
the Nine Muses are sitting. This cave is so cleverly made 
that it resembles a real rock. On one side is a covered walk 
leading to another artificial rock, in which and hidden by 
trees are six fountains. Under this rock is a small door 
through which you pass into a subterranean passage, leading to 
a grotto decorated with rare and beautiful shells. It is lighted 
from above, and there is a large fountain in the centre of it, 
and round it are waterfalls. The floor is of marble. On 
leaving the grotto you pass into a small court, surrounded 
by artificial rocks interspersed with trees and hedges. There 
is a large fountain in the middle which keeps it constantly 
cool. These rocks hide the wings of the house, which con- 
tain each four small cells, or eight little dwelling-rooms, each 
comprising a bedroom and wardrobe. The main building is 
reached through the court. On entering it you pass into a 
large hall which has a fine ceiling painted and gilt. The 
whole is composed of Baireuth marble, the walls grey, 
with red marble pillars, of which the capitals are gilt. The 
floor is paved with different coloured marble. My rooms 
are situated on the right hand side. 

First, there is a room with a painted ceiling representing 
the Eoman matrons that prevented Eome from being plun- 
dered by their enemies. The raised decorations are all 
gilt. The walls are hung with yellow damask with a silver 
border. You then pass into a wing which I have added, 
containing a room with a raised gold ceiling. The paintings 
represent the story of Chelonide and Cleobrontas. The 
woodwork has a white ground with raised gold decorations. 
Between the windows and above the fire-place are looking- 
glasses. The walls are covered with a rich blue and gold stuff 
on which are flowers in chenille. You could not see anything 

DD 



402 MEMOmS OF THE 



handsomer. After this comes a small room with Japanese fijr- 
nitaxe given me by my brother. It cost enormous srmis of 

money, as it is the only specimen of its kind that has come 
to Europe, so at least my brother was told. Close to this is 
the mnsic-room, of white marble with green panels, each 
panel containing trophies of musical instruments, gilt, and 
very well made. Portraits by the best masters in gold frames 
are hung above these trophies. The ground of the ceiling is 
white, and the story of Orpheus charming the wild beasts 
with his lyre is represented ou it in raised work. All these 
decorations are gilt. My piano and other musical instruments 
are in this room. My stndy joins it. It is of brown lac, 
with painted flowers on it. It is in this room that I write 
my memoirs and spend so many hours in reflection. I pass 
from the music-room by another door into my dressing- 
room, which is quite simple, and then into my bedroom. The 
bed is hung with blue damask, and the walls with striped 
velvet. Adjoining this is my wardrobe, which is very con- 
venient. 

The arrangement of the Margrave's rooms is the same as 
mine, save that the rooms are differently decorated. The 
first is covered with a kind of varnish, the composition of 
which is partly my own invention. A beautiful painting in 
it represents Alexander burning incense on the altar, and 
Aristotle reprimanding him for his extravagance. The 
next room is dark brown. A11 the decorations are gilt, 
and consist of trophies of arms of all nations. In the centre 
of the ceiling is a painting representing Artaxerxes receiving 
Themistocles. The walls are hung with tapestry describing 
the story of that General. In the small cabinet next door 
are some fine pictures. The woodwork is ebony and 
gold, while the ceiLing contains a painting of Mucins 
Scsevola. The next room is decorated with Yienna china, 
and the painted ceiling represents Leonidas defending the 
Pass of Thermopylae. The bedroom is hung with green 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 403 

damask bordered with gold. It may appear strange that 
I should have taken historical subjects for the decorations of 
the ceilings. But I like all that is speculative, and all these 
historical facts represent . virtues which might have been 
introduced in a modern garb as allegories, but which would 
not have been so pleasing to the eye. The exterior of the 
house has no artistic decorations. It might easily pass for a 
ruin. It is surrounded by beautiful large trees. In front is 
a flower-bed, with a waterfall behind it. There are fine 
avenues of lime trees, and on one side grass-plots, with a 
fountain in the centre. 

Near the house are ten avenues of limes, whose branches 
are so thick that the sun's rays never penetrate them. Every 
path in the wood leads to some hermit's cave or other 
device, each differing from the other. I have a little 
hermitage of my own commanding a view of a ruined temple 
built in imitation of those at Borne. I have dedicated it to the 
Muses, and have placed in it the pictures of all the famous 
scientific men of the last century : Descartes, Leibnitz, 
Locke, Newton, Bayle, Yoltaire, Maupertius, &c. Near this 
is a small round hall, two httle rooms and a kitchen, which I 
have decorated with old china. From these you pass into 
a small garden, at the entrance of which stand the ruins 
of a portico. The garden is enclosed by a shady walk, 
where you can sit and read during the greatest heat. As 
you proceed new objects become visible ; among others, an 
amphitheatre, where acting can take place in the open air. 
But I will go no further in my description. From all I have 
said it will be clear that the " Hermitage " was unique of its 
kind. I have described it in the condition in which it was in 
the year 1744, and will mention the improvements I still 
intend making. 

I have probably wasted too much time over this subject, 
but I write for my own amusement, and not with the idea of 
ever seeing these memoirs published. Perhaps I may 

DD 2 



404 MEMOIRS OF THE 



sacrifice these pages to Yulcan, or perhaps I may give them 
to my daughter. I repeat that I merely write this narrative 
for my own special satisfaction, and take pleasure in 
mentioning every circnnistance that happened to me, as 
well as in recording all my thoughts. 

The war between the Emperor and Turkey broke out 
afresh this year. It was one of the most unjust wai's, but 
rightly to understand its cause I m.ust look back a few years. 

I have abeady stated that Eussia sent a contingent of 
ten thousand men to Grermany to help the Emperor in his 
campaign against the French. The Eussian Empress was at 
that time engaged in hostilities with the Turks, and had sent 
the Emperor of Grermany these troops only on condition 
that when he had made peace with France he would create a 
diversion, and break his truce with the Ottomans. Accord- 
ingly in the year 1736, the Emperor prepared to fulfil his 
engagements with Russia, and ordered his troops to enter 
Hungary. The beginning of the campaign proved successful. 
As the Turks had not expected to be attacked from that 
quarter, and had no army there, they retreated, and left the 
Imperial troops in possession of Nissa without striking a 
blow. In the year 1737, however, the luck turned. Greneral 
Yon Seckendorf was entrusted with the command of the 
Austrian forces, and behaved so extremely iU that the whole 
army soon went to rack and ruin. He was brought before 
a court-martial at the end of that year, and sentenced to life- 
long imprisonment in the fortress of Spielberg, thankful to 
have escaped so easily. I marvelled at the fate of the man 
who had caused me so much ti^ouble, and who had been the 
scourge of all the Courts at which he had hved. I pitied 
him, and I cannot say that his misfortunes afforded me even 
a moment's satisfaction. We shall see him appear again 
on the scene, but I must now retmii to my otstl naiTative. 

We commenced the year 1737 by receiving a visit from 
the Bishop of Bamberg. Our Court appeared on this occasion 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 405 

in its full splendour. I had greatly improved both the 
Margrave's room and my own. The acquisition of some 
first-rate Italian musicians and singers had greatly improved 
our private orchestra. Several foreigners who had entered 
our service served to enhance the brightness of our Court, 
which had happily lost its former depressing and monotonous 
nature. Everybody who visited it was delighted with it, 
and the Bishop took his departure much pleased with his 
stay. 

Although my health was still very delicate, it now began 
to improve. The whole country ardently wished for an heir. 
It was suggested that I should take a course of strengthening 
baths, and although my constitution could not stand them, 
the doctor was bribed to urge the necessity of my using 
them, and I was obliged to give in to the wishes of the 
people. As Ems was the least strong of these baths in 
Grermany I chose it in preference to others. The season of 
the year was, however, not yet far enough advanced, so we 
went to Erlangen, and waited there till the proper time 
arrived. 

We made a very pleasant stay at Erlangen. It was there 
that I saw for the first time a pastoral play, in which the 
celebrated Zachini acted. Everyone was enraptured with 
the beauty and charm of his voice. We thought of nothing 
else but amusements, when the sudden death of my nephew 
the Hereditary Prince of Anspach put an unexpected end to 
our pleasures. 

I have abeady mentioned the miserable married life of 
my sister with the Margrave of Anspach. The unhappy re- 
lations existing between them had of late become much worse, 
partly owing to the Chamberlain von Seckendorf, who un- 
ceasingly excited the Margrave against his wife. The death 
of the young Prince presented a wide field to Seckendorf 's 
malignity. He said my sister was to blame for the sad 
occurrence, and incensed the Margrave to such a degree 



406 MEMOIRS OF THE 



against her, that lie swore he would never see her again, and 
would have himself separated from her. He even treated 
her shamefully, sent her cruel messages through the servants, 
and forbade the Court to see her. In a word, everything 
was done that could possibly humiliate her. 

This state of things had already lasted three weeks without 
my knowing anything about it. At last some well-intentioned 
people informed me secretly of it, and begged me to go to 
Anspach and put an end to this misery. I did not hesitate 
one moment, but went at once. The Margrave of Anspach 
was in the country, seeking comfort for his son's death in the 
arms of his mistress. As soon as he heard of my arrival at 
Anspach he returned home. I found my sister bathed in 
tears, and so altered that she was not to be recognized. The 
Margrave never even looked at her. He could not well 
avoid dining with us, but it was quite apparent that he was 
terribly ill at ease. I would not speak with him till I was 
thoroughly cognizant of all the circumstances. I soon found 
that M. von Seckendorf was the chief cause of all the trouble. 
I therefore turned to him, and the firmness, as well as the 
gentleness, with which I spoke probably made an impression 
on him. He promised me to do everything in his power to 
restore peace, and he kept his word. 

Everybody combined with him to pacify the Margrave, 
yet no doubt the reason of his Hstening to all these entreaties 
was his fear of me. I had therefore the satisfaction of 
seeing peace and unity restored, and, having no longer any- 
thing to keep me at Anspach, returned to Erlangen. From 
there I went to Wertheim, where I embarked for Ems. Our 
journey was very pleasant. The society on board the boat was 
agreeable and the food good, and we were charmed by the 
lovely scenery. At the end of six days we arrived at Ems. 
We were very tired from our last day's journey and a 
sleepless night spent on board a small ferry boat, as the large 
boat could not pass up the Lahn, on. which Ems is situated. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 407 

Ems is a very pleasant place STirrounded by a citadel of 
mountains, but without trees. The " House of Orange," in 
which we lived, is a fine building, besides being very com- 
fortable. We rested the first twenty-fOur hours, but on the 
following day I began to receive people. The society was 
limited and very tiresome. Madame von Hartenberg, the 
wife of a royal English Chamberlain, was the heroine of the 
place. She had come to Ems with her. husband and her 
lover, a M. von Diefenbrock. She was small, ugly, and 
repulsive, very smart, and a great fiirt. Her ridiculous 
appearance was a source of amusement to us. The Mar- 
grave pretended to be in love with her, and made her fine 
speeches, and she was foolish enough to fall into the trap, 
and wished to begin the romance where it really ended. It 
was not the Margrave's fault that she did so, but her whole 
"s\T?ath fell on me. She was convinced I had prevented the 
Margrave's love for her, and consequently abused me to 
everyone. She was, however, happily so well known, that 
nothing she said made any impression. 

I began my " cure," and at first felt pretty well. The 
agreeable society that assembled at Ems did much towards 
making our stay there pleasant. Besides other ladies and 
gentlemen from the neighbourhood, Polnitz arrived, of whom 
I have spoken before. He told me much about Berlin, 
where he was a great favourite with the King, and was well 
acquainted with the state of affairs. He told me everybody 
pitied me, for the King had received dreadful news of 
the Margrave, that he had mistresses, and ill-used me ! 
Surely slander had never invented greater lies. I implored 
Polnitz to undeceive the King, which he did on his return. 

We sometimes went out walking, or rather wading through 
the mud. The " promenade " consisted of an avenue of 
limes planted on the banks of the river. You could never 
feel lonely, as you were always accompanied by pigs and 
other domestic animals, which you had to chase out of your 



408 IVIEMOIRS OF THE 



path by means of a stick. I used the weakest of the baths, 
and always waited till the water had cooled down. I had 
been recommended to do this by the doctor and others, as hot 
baths were very prejudicial to my health. Zeitz, our own 
doctor, insisted however that I should try the stronger baths. 
I tried them, but was able to do so only for a few minutes, 
for they are so hot that the room became filled with steam. 
The doctor now turned to M. von Yoit, in order that he 
might induce me to continue using them, and although all 
the other doctors remonstrated with Zeitz on the subject, and 
told him the waters would kill me, he still insisted on the 
point. He told several people, from whom I heard it 
afterwards, that if I only had a Prince, the rest would be 
immaterial to him. If I died, well there would only be 
one woman the less in the world. My good genius pre- 
vailed, and prevented my following his advice. However 
much I was entreated by people, I did not do what they 
asked. As soon as I had finished my " cure," I went to 
Coblentz, where I was shown the castle and the town, which 
however need not be further mentioned. 

On my return to Ems I found one of the Landgrave of 
Darmstadt's gentlemen, who had been sent by that Prince to 
invite the Margrave most courteously to come to Miinich- 
bnick, a country seat belonging to the Landgrave on the 
road to Frankfort. Much pleased to make the acquaintance 
of this Prince, who was famed for his civihty and love of 
splendour, the Margrave accepted the invitation, and in- 
duced me to accompany him. "We therefore started next 
day, passing by Schlangenbad and Schwalbach, which were 
crowded with people. We spent the night at "Wiesbaden, 
and although greatly fatigued I got up at five next morning 
to proceed on our way to Miinichbruck. I fouod {yvo 
" originals " in my room, two Counts Eeuss. One of them 
continually hopped from one foot to the other, and told me 
he was one of the Imperial Chamberlains and a Count of the 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH, 409 

Empire. " I am much pleased to learn this, my dear sir," I 
replied, "and I am sure if the Emperor possesses many 
Chamberlains of your kind the Court must be well provided." 
" That is also the case," he said. The other told me that he 
lived on his property near Frankfort, "because," he added, 
" forage is much better there. My whole pleasure consists 
in having fine horses." He then told me the pedigree of all 
his horses, and explained to me their special qualities. I 
might have answered him that none could be better than he 
himself. At last I got into the carriage to escape from the 
hopping and horse-loving Counts. We arrived at Miinich- 
bruck, having had a terribly hot and dusty journey. 

The Landgrave offered me his hand as I stepped from the 
carriage, but without saying a word, and left me standing in 
the middle of the courtyard, whilst he went to greet the 
Margrave, after which he led me into the house. There I 
found his daughter, the Princess Maximilian of Hesse-Cassel 
and his son the Hereditary Prince. I endeavoured to converse 
with them. The Landgrave never answered one word, his 
daughter laughed aloud and his son made low bows. As 
soon as their father left the room they began to talk, but of 
subjects which were quite new to me, and of the coarsest and 
most improper nature. I opened my eyes very wide and felt 
most uncomfortable. Such a thing had never happened to 
me before, and such society did not suit me. The Princess 
of Hesse was a second Duchesse de Berry. She had been 
very good-looking, but good living and a very gay existence 
had spoilt her complexion. Her bold manners and impudent 
behaviour were in accordance with her opinions, and left but 
little doubt as to her real character. 

At last we sat down to dinner. In spite of all the civiKty 
I showed the Landgrave he remained completely silent, till 
an unforeseen occurrence gave me the pleasure of hearing 
his voice. Miinichbruck is a shooting lodge consisting of 
different small pavilions, each of which contained a small 



410 MEMOIRS OF THE 



saloon, with three rooms on either side of it. These were all 
hung with different coloured damask bordered with silver. 
During dinner the Princess Maximilian suddenly exclaimed, 
" Groodness me, oh, goodness me ! " I was quite frightened, 
as I feared she would be seized by one of those fits of temper 
by which she was said to be frequently attacked during the 
day. However she soon called out to me that miracles were 
taking place, she had never seen anything so wonderful as 
what was disclosed to her sight. I really thought she had 
gone out of her mind, but when I saw the Landgrave 
smiling to himself in a strange way I was relieved. The 
great wonder consisted in part of the damask hangings 
having been rolled up and thereby disclosing some linen 
decorated in oil colours beneath it. This caused the 
Landgrave to make the following remark to me : " Your 
Royal Highness perceives that witchcraft is practised here." 
This was all I ever heard him say. I thought this nonsense 
very remarkable, for the proverb says, " You must howl with 
the wolves." 

After this most tiresome dinner had come to an end, I was 
compelled to dance whether I wished it or not. I was as 
tired as a dog, and as there were only three ladies present, 
and many " Allemandes " were danced, I was so exhausted 
that I could scarcely stir. After much entreaty I induced the 
Margrave to let us leave that evening at seven. It is only 
right that I should now give a description of the Landgrave 
and his son. 

At the time I saw the Landgrave, he was eighty years old, 
and but for his white hair 3^ou would not have thought him 
more than fifty. He had cancer of the mouth, which dis- 
figured him greatly. He was said to have been very clever in 
his young days, but this had disappeared with his years. He 
lived on very bad terms with his son, whom he treated Hke a 
child, although he was forty-nine years of age. The Prince 
was very intelligent, very courteous, and even learned, but 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 411 

tlie bad society in which he lived had made him so coarse 
that his original character was not to be recognized. 

I reached Frankfort very late, where we were received by 
the magistrates and town council with salvos of cannons. As 
I was not feeling well, I stayed a day there, and visited all 
the sights worth seeing, among them the " Eomer," which is 
the hall in which the Emperors dine at their coronation. Near 
this are several rooms, in one of which is kept the " Grolden 
Bull,"* which was shown to me. I then went to the church 
where the Emperors are usually crowned. I was also shown 
the place where the electors assemble on the day of election. 
As there are many descriptions given of these sights in other 
books I pass them over in silence. 

We left Frankfort next evening at five o'clock, intending 
to travel all night, in order to avoid the intolerable heat. In 
spite of my being very ill, I determined to visit on our way 
Philippsruhe, a castle belonging to Prince William of Hesse. 
The castle is large and roomy, but very simply arranged in 
the interior. The position is fine, looking over a beautiful 
garden, with a view over the Maine, and a lovely country 
beyond it. 

The farther we proceeded on our journey the worse I 
grew, for I was attacked with violent dysentery. During the 
night we were overtaken by tremendous rain, after which it 
suddenly became quite cold. The roads were of the worst 
description. We were in the Spessart mountains, in the 
middle of a wood, where no house or village was to be seen. 

I arrived early next morning at half-past eight in a small 



* The celebrated "Golden Bull" of the Emperor Charles IV. of 
Germany, so called from its golden seal, was made the fundamental law of 
the German Empire at the Diet of Nuremberg in 1356. A "bull" is a 
decree of the Pope, and is properly the seal, deriving its name from " Bulla," 
and is made of gold, silver, lead or wax. On the one side are the heads of 
St. Peter and St. Paul, and on the other side the name of the Pope, and 
the year in which he reigned. 



412 MEMOIRS OF TETE 



village called Eselsbach. I was half dead, and was carried 
without noticing it out of the carriage and laid on a bed. 
The doctor, who had arrived long before I did, thought me 
very ill. I had high fever, and he considered my condition 
one of great danger. It was decided I should remain next 
day in this village, and then, should my state not improve, 
they would endeavour to move me. The place we were in 
"was so bad, it was impossible to remain there any longer. 
As I "was rather better on the second day we continued 
our journey to "Wiirzburg, where the Bishop had invited 
us. 

We were received there with all possible honours. The 
garrison had turned out and lined the streets, and cannons 
"were fired. The Prince and his whole Court received us at 
the foot of the stairs. The motion of the carriage had 
made me feel very weak, so that I was obliged to go to bed. 
HI as I was I managed however to drag myself about, to 
visit the interior of the castle, which was considered one of 
the finest in Grermany. The staircase "was beautiful, and the 
rooms large and roomy, but the decoration was to my taste 
very ugly. 

We left at eight o'clock in the evening. I was better in 
some respects, but was now attacked "with violent pains in my 
chest, so that I was unable to speak. Ha-ring travelled all 
night I reached Erlangen nest day, where I remained a 
fortnight, until I was pronounced out of danger. I remained 
very weak, and my health "was not re-established. 

On my return to Baireuth I found ^Mademoiselle von 
Bodenbruck, one of the Queen's Alaids of Honour, there. It 
was she "who had caused me so much annoyance at Berlin. 
She was on her way to Carlsbad to take the baths. I was 
desirous of behaving generously towards her, and over- 
"vs^helmed her with civility. My beha"VLOur touched her, and 
caused her to repent. She gave me an account of all that 
was going on at Berlin. She told me the Queen was still 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 413 

angry with, me, and never spared an opportunity of speaking 
ill of me. It was all the fault of my sister of Brunswick, 
who was constantly exciting her against me, and inventing 
stories about Baireuth. Amongst other things, she told her 
I had cared so little for the jewels the Queen had given me, 
that I had sold them, and bought others instead in order to 
keep nothing w^hich had come from Berlin. She was not con- 
tent with telling my mother such stories, but served me in the 
same manner with my brother. He had unfortunately so 
much changed towards me, that he said openly my sister 
was his favourite. Mademoiselle von Bodenbruck told me 
my brother was no longer what he had been, and that every- 
one began to hate him, and wished I might regain my 
influence over him. In order to justify myself with respect 
to the slanders of my sister, I showed Mademoiselle von 
Bodenbruck the jewels the Queen had given me, which she 
herself knew well. She promised to take my part warmly 
with the Queen, and also to speak favourably of me to my 
brother, after which she left Baireuth laden with civilities 
and presents. 

The year 1738 seemed to me to promise to be a very 
unhappy one. The Margrave was suddenly taken very ill. 
At first his malady seemed not to be dangerous, being merely 
a rush of blood to the head. Soon, however, an attack of 
paralysis threatened to put an end to his life. His mouth 
was slightly drawn on one side, and his left eye also suffered 
and continually watered. It did not disfigure him how- 
ever. How cruelly I suffered all the time he was ill ! I 
can never describe my fears and my anxiety. His recovery 
seemed to give me fresh life. 

My own health, alas, was not improving, but on the contrary 
became daily worse. I was again suffering from ague, and 
at the end of three months the doctor said that there was no 
hope of curing me. Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld and the 
Margrave informed the Queen and mj brotlier of my condi- 



414 MEMOIRS OF THE 



tion. Doctors from Berlin were sent for, and the result of 
the consultation was to pronounce my state as hopeless. The 
last spark of my brother's love for me was now kindled 
afresh. He wrote to me that there was a very clever doctor 
at Stettin, to whom the King in a great measure owed his 
recovery whilst suffering from the di^opsv. My brother said 
I should ask my father to send him to see me. The letter 
my brother wrote to me on this occasion was most tender. 
I was resigned to my fate, and believed that this time I must 
die. Death's approach did not fill me with terror, and I was 
ready to meet it with courage. 

My only feeling of sorrow was the thought of what my 
loss would be to the Margrave. I tried to think however 
]ie would, like so many other husbands, after being in 
terrible despair for a time, at length find comfort. 

My brother's entreaties, combined with the Margrave's, 
induced me nevertheless to follow the advice of the former. 
I wrote the King a touching letter, telling him of the de- 
plorable condition I was in. I said that, standing on the 
brink of the grave, I begged his forgiveness for any annoyance 
I had unwittingly caused him, and entreated him to give me 
his blessing. I assured him of my tender love for him, and 
finally asked him, more for the sake of pacifying the Mar- 
grave than in the hopes of saving my life, to send Doctor 
Supperville to see me. The King answered me most kindly, 
and sent me the doctor, who arrived in a fortnight at the 
Hermitage, where I was at that moment. 

I expected to meet with a pedant, one of those worthy 
supporters of the faculty that constantly bring out long 
Latin words, and bore their patients with their long-winded 
talk. I was however much mistaken. A tolerably good- 
looking man appeared, who addressed me with respect, thereby 
disclosing perfect knowledge of the world, and in a word 
you were not aware that he was a doctor at all. He found 
me dangerously ill, but encouraged me, and gave me hopes 



MARGRAVIXE OF BAIllELTH. 415 

of being able to cme me. It will be right of me here to 
describe him. 

Supperville was of French extraction, and is said to have 
sprung from a good family. Every Frenchman that settles 
in a foreign country becomes as aristocratic as the King 
himself, whether his father be a hotel keeper or footman in 
Paris. However, we pass over this. Supperville had, as his 
father lived at the Hague, studied at Utrecht and Leyden. 
Having completed his course for the law, he became secretary 
to a Minister who was sent to France. Love made him 
become a doctor. He fell in love with a very rich young 
girl, and being unwilling to separate'^himself from her, came 
to a decision very repugnant to him. He went back to the 
University, and the ardour he displayed in the study of 
medicine and anatomy soon made him celebrated. The King 
took him with him, as his first doctor, to Pomerania, whence 
his fame soon spread. He was extremely clever, had read 
immensely, and was a great genius. His conversation was 
natural and pleasant, he understood how to joke as well as 
how to be serious, but his imperious and jealous nature cast 
his other qualities and talents into the shade, and made him 
ridiculous to such a degree as not to be easily forgotten. 

After the account I have given of him here, it will be 
easily understood that he soon gained our approbation. Our 
Court had, after much trouble and work, greatly changed 
for the better. It had lost a certain want of courtesy and 
coarseness that had formerly existed in it, but it was not yet 
what it ought to have been. All composing it were narrow- 
minded beings, who had never left Baireuth, and who had 
ao conception of the rest of the world. Books and the 
sciences were unknown to them. Their conversation was 
confined to shooting, agricultural pursuits, and stories about 
the old Court life. M. von Yoit, who had been of some 
help to us, had become very pious. The only refuge there- 
fore that remained to us was in ourselves. Supperville 



416 MEMOIRS OF THE 



arrived most oppoitanelj, and showed himseK so devoted to 
US that we began to look with favour on him. He made me 
use a " cure " which in six weeks got rid of the low fever I 
was suftering from. I had nevertheless not jet entirely 
recovered, and he was therefore of opinion that unless I took 
the greatest care and led a very strict life, I might easily 
have a relapse. 

This fear one day caused him to say to me that he was 
well aware that my health was as yet not by any means 
re-established, and that his presence was necessary. He 
therefore put his services at my disposal, and assured me 
that nothing would make him happier than to be able to 
devote his whole life to the Margrave and myself. His 
proposal pleased me greatly, but I nevertheless saw many 
reasons against it. Supperville was a great favourite with 
my brother, and shared in all his social pursuits. I felt 
certain he would never tolerate my depriving him of a 
person whom he liked. I told Supperville this at once. He 
answered me by saying, " I have never up to the present 
time dared to speak c^uite openly with your Eoyal Highness, 
but since I now have the honour of knowing you, I feel that 
I may venture to do so, without running the risk of 
making myself unhappy. I had already formed the inten- 
tion of leaving the "King^s service before I came here. I 
intended settling in Holland, but the pleeisant position I 
have found at this Court, and my devotion to your Eoyal 
Highness, have caused me to alter my plans. I cannot deny 
that the Crown Prince is most kindly inclined towards me, 
but I have had time to study his character closely. The 
Prince has great understanding but a bad heart : he is 
suspicious, imgrateful and vicious, and I am much mis- 
taken if he will not in time become more avaricious than 
the King his father is at the present moment. He has 
no religion, and his morality is of his own making. He 
endeavours to throw a glamour over the pubKc, but in spite 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 417 

of liis art of dissembling many already know his true 
character. He has singled me out at present, in order to 
increase his scientific knowledge, for learning is his greatest 
passion. When he has learnt all he wants from me, he will 
drop me, as he already has so many others. It is for this 
reason that I have taken my precautions in good time." 

I had already for some time been displeased with my 
brother, and knew that many who had cared for him shared 
my feelings. Yet I could not believe it possible that his 
whole character should have changed so completely. I dis- 
puted this point for a long time with Supperville, but the 
Margrave, who entered the room at this moment, took his 
part, and said he had long ago come to the same opinion. 
He gladly accepted Supperville's offer, and we both wrote 
to the King to ask his consent. I also wrote in the same 
strain to my brother, and Supperville started for Berlin laden 
with these letters. 

It may seem strange that I have entered so much into 
detail on the subject, but it was necessary in the. course of 
these memoirs, in which Supperville plays a conspicuous part. 

The King answered me most kindly, that Supperville was 
always at my disposal whenever I wanted him, but that he 
could not entirely give him over to me, as he could not do 
without him. The Queen nevertheless wrote to me that she 
hoped still to obtain his consent, particularly if I were able 
to send several very tall soldiers. 

Mademoiselle von Grrumkow was married at the end of 
the year to a M. von Beist, an excellent man of good 
family, but possessed of no riches beyond the four children 
left him by his first wife. I was very glad to get rid of her, 
and took two other ladies as her successors. Mademoiselle 
Albertine von Marwitz and Mademoiselle von Hutten. 
This latter belonged to a celebrated old family. 

The year 1739 was far more interesting than the preced- 
ing. Supperville returned in the spring, and a "cure " which 

EE 



418 MEMOmS OF THE 



he obKged me to use almost re-establislied my health, or 
rather put an end to all danger. I must now turn to another 
subject. 

I have already said that the Margrave had made a certain 
Ellerot his Secretary. He was a man possessed of honesty 
and cleverness, and understood the affairs of the State. He 
had found all the business departments, but more especially 
the finance, in the greatest confusion. This department 
had at first been entrusted to a M. von Dobeneck, but it 
soon became evident that, in spite of all his self-assertion, he 
imderstood nothing about it. It was therefore given over to 
Ellerot, to whom the Margrave also entrusted his privy 
purse. This man's whole object was to find means, without 
endeavouring to restore order or credit. Several large claims 
owing to the Margrave were used to meet the expenditure. 
One must do Ellerot the justice of saying that he rendered 
the Margrave valuable service, not only as regards the 
management of his State affairs, but also foreign. This 
secured him the confidence of his master to such a degree 
that he made him his private referendary. The Ministers 
clamoured loudly against such an innovation, for it chpped 
their wings and took from them much of their importance. 
They therefore presented the Margrave with a by no means 
respectful written remonstrance, which he, being much offended 
at their behaviour, answered most curtly. Ellerot was sus- 
pected of having written the reply, and this made him many 
enemies. A perfect outcry was raised, and it was pubhcly 
said that the servants had not been paid, and that two 
quarters were owing to them. 

I was the first to hear of this, and was informed, after 
enquiring privately, that it was the case. I sent for Ellerot, 
spoke with him, and told him I had heard that the finances 
were in a bad way, and that the Margrave's privy purse was 
in debt. He said that this was not the case, and assured me 
these reports were all calumnies, invented by his enemies in 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 419 

order to bring about bis fall. I determined therefore not to 
mention anything of this to the Margrave, who had, however, 
already heard of it. 

Supperville, to whom he confided his business matters, 
recommended him a gentleman from Berlin, a most honest 
man of great merit, named Hartmann, of whom I had often 
heard, to take over the Finance Department. Ellerot did 
not take it in the least amiss, having long been desirous of 
getting rid of this branch. It will, however, be seen later 
that he was nevertheless much hurt at Hartmann's 
appointment. 

No sooner had Hartmann arrived than the storm against 
Ellerot burst forth. Young and old entreated me to draw 
the Margrave's attention to his dishonesty and bad manage- 
ment. I was too well acquainted with the ways of the world 
to interfere in such things. Ellerot was in high favour, and 
this roused jealousy and envy ; and as I believed him to be 
innocent, I took good care not to rouse the Margrave's 
suspicions. Hartmann however confirmed the rumours, and 
declared the finances were in terrible confusion, and that 
half-a-year's wages were owing to the servants. In 
order to come to no hasty conclusion, the Margrave sent 
secretly for Hartmann, and desired him to give him 
his accusations in writiag. This man assured him of the 
truth of all he had said, and declared he would convict his 
opponent. 

Ellerot had many friends. He heard of the Margrave's 
secret interview, and as he had his own creatures about the 
place he soon became aware of the trick that was to be 
played him. He spoke to the Margrave next day, protesting 
his innocence, and begging for a strict enquiry into his 
conduct. What more could be done ? The Margrave 
appointed four Commissioners to carry out this inquiry. 
Ellerot was pronounced free from all guilt, and came out 
of the whole proceeding white as snow, whilst his accuser 

EE 2 



420 MEMOIRS OF THE 



was sent to the fortress. We shall learn the end of this 
storj next year. 

My health meanwhile improved but very slowly, and the 
complaint I suffered from seemed to develop into a kind of 
consumption. Supperville advised change of air, as Baireuth 
was cold and unhealthy during the winter. He therefore 
suggested to the Margrave our spending a year at Mont- 
pellier, and proved to him the double advantage the change 
would have. First of all it would help the restoration of 
my health, and secondly, improve the state of his finances, 
as the country was obliged to vote the money for our journey. 
The Margrave was delighted with the proposition, and at 
once informed me of it. It can be easily understood that I 
at once consented. I foresaw that great difficulties would 
be made at Berlin, for I knew that the King and Queen 
would disapprove of the plan, besides which I did not expect 
to find much amusement at Montpellier. 

My father-in-law, the late Margrave, had spent several 
years there, and had not given me a favourable impression of 
the place. I proposed another plan to the Margrave and 
Supperville, of which they entirely approved. It was this, 
to spend a few months at Montpellier, then to go to Antibes 
by sea and travel through Italy. As we were, however, 
persuaded that this journey would meet with still greater 
disfavour than the other, we determined to keep it a secret. 

We thought it advisable that the Margrave should pay a 
visit to Berlin, in order to remove any possible opposition 
and annoyance from that quarter. My husband gladly 
assented to my wishes. He left in a fortnight, accompanied 
by eight tall men he had chosen from his own bodyguard, 
whom he intended offering to the Xing. His journey and 
his arrival were kept such a secret that no one heard of 
either. 

On seeing the Margrave the King, who was just on parade, 
evinced the greatest delight. He at once alighted from his 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 421 

horse and embraced him several times, calling him his dear 
son. He had tears in his eyes, and kept repeating, " My 
Grod, what pleasure jou are giving me ! Now I know that 
you do care for me a little." The King then led the Mar- 
grave up to the Queen, who also received him most kindly. 
But the Margrave rose still higher in the King's estimation 
next day on his presenting him with the eight tall soldiers. 
My brother also greeted him most warmly, but dissuaded 
him from asking any favour of the King, as he would then, 
he said, spoil everything. I am certain the King would have 
granted him anything, for I have been told so repeatedly. 
The Margrave was anxious to remain on good terms with 
my brother, and therefore missed the opportunity of gain- 
ing any advantage from the King's favourable disposition 
towards him. He not only received the consent to our 
journey to Montpellier, but Supperville's resignation was 
accepted, and he was entirely given over to us. The King 
gave the Margrave a gold snuff-box set with diamonds and 
containing his portrait, of the value of four thousand thalers 
(£600). I also received several presents from the King and 
Queen. The Margrave returned to Baireuth after an absence 
of six weeks, very much satisfied with the marks of friendship 
shown him at Berlin. 

Now that all obstacles from that quarter had been over- 
come, we met with others from the Principality. The dis- 
satisfaction was general, and the people would not let us 
leave. My Groverness, whose great age prevented her accom- 
panying us, made a great to-do. At last, at the end of four 
weeks, all difficulties having been got over, our departure was 
fixed for the 20th of August. 

My poor Meermann* was very ailing, and much as I 
grieved to separate myself from both these devoted com- 
panions of my sorrows, I felt I would rather suffer that pain 

* The Margravine's faithful old maid. 



422 me:moiks of the 



than expose their Kves and healths to any risk. Meemiann's 
husband was my man of business. He had an excellent 
head, but was violent and vehement. He wished to pass as 
my f avourite, and was furious at not being so. He ruled his 
wife with a rod of iron, so that she did not dare stir, and 
was frightened to death of him. This man was bitterly 
annoyed that I did not take him with me, and determined to 
have his revenge. He asked my permission to go to Berhn, 
and remain there during my absence, which I granted him. 
At last, having taken a tearful leave of my Grovemess and 
Meermann, I got into the carriage with my husband, accom- 
panied by Mademoiselle Sonnsf eld and Mademoiselle Marwitz, 
who were the only ladies I took with me. Supperville 
had been attacked with fever two days before, and awaited 
us at Erlangen. 

We had barely driven a mile when the Margrave was 
taken suddenly ill, with violent headache accompanied by 
sickness. "We hoped that it was nothing but an ordinary 
sick headache, but had reckoned without our host. He 
became feverish, and we were obliged to stay several hours 
in a dreadful little place called Traubach. I proposed 
returning to Baireuth, but he would not hear of it, and 
insisted on our getting into the carriage again and driving 
to Streitberg, where we spent the night. The fever con- 
tinued all night, but as he was desirous of reaching Erlangen 
we brought him there with great difficulty. 

On our arrival there we were told that Supperville was 
very ill indeed. All the symptoms of his illness coincided 
with those of the Margrave. I was in terrible anxiety 
about the latter, and was afraid he was going to have some 
malignant fever. In spite of my consumptive condition, I 
never left his side for a moment, and suffered far more than 
he did. His condition did not improve, and for five times 
twenty-four hours he lay in this burning fever, which nothing 
seemed to reheve. My anxiety drove me to seek Supperville, 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 423 

who was living in the castle. I told him that the Margrave 
was in so dangerous a condition that no time must be lost in 
bleeding him. Supperville replied that he was of the same 
opinion, and was only waiting till the fever abated some- 
what to carry it out. I therefore returned to the Margrave, 
with whom I found our second doctor, "Wagner. I informed 
him of my consultation with Supperville and of his opinion, 
but he declared that he would never consent to bleed the 
Margrave at this moment, as nothing could be more dangerous, 
and it should be resorted to only as a last means in case 
there were no hope of recovery possible. I answered that 
I could not prescribe what he was to do, and that he must 
settle the matter with Supperville. He returned after a few 
moments, and said Supperville was of the same opinion, 
namely to do nothing hastily. 

I remained with the Margrave till three o'clock in the 
morning, when, overcome by fatigue and anxiety, I at last 
threw myself on my bed in a small room next his, from which 
I could see and hear all that was going on, and soon fell asleep. 
I might have slept four hours, when I was awakened, and as 
I opened my eyes, I saw Wagner standing near my bed. 
No Medusa's head could have alarmed me more, and I 
thought the Margrave must be djdng. " I beg your Royal 
Highness not to be alarmed," Wagner said, " the Margrave 
is still in the same condition, and we have at length deter- 
mined to bleed him. We thought it right to inform you of 
our intention in order that you might be present." 

More dead than alive I rose from my bed. A poor sinner 
led to his place of execution could not have suffered more 
than I did at that moment. I trembled all over, and my 
knees shook under me. As the last means of help was 
to be resorted to, I felt convinced all hope was at an end for 
the Margrave. In this state of mind I dragged myself into 
the Margrave's room, where another scene presented itself. 
The whole Council was assembled, while in the streets a crowd 



424 MEMOIRS OF THE 



had gathered who abused Supperville for his intention of 
bleeding the Margrave. Supperville was quite as ill as the 
Margrave, but never lost his head. He had himself bled 
first, to put an end to the uproar and outcry, and thus 
pacified the people's minds. 

Throughout all this, I lay in an armchair in a condition 
not to be. described. I was incapable of collecting my 
thoughts, and kept staring fixedly at one spot. At last the 
bleeding took place — and oh ! what joy, the Margrave's face 
changed as the blood flowed, the renewed attack of fever 
which had been anticipated did not supervene, and by the 
evening he was pronounced out of danger. As soon as his 
condition improved, I observed he was very cold in his manner 
towards me. He quarrelled with me about every trifle, and 
was on the other hand very marked in his manner towards 
Mademoiselle von Marwitz, for whom he asked incessantly 
whenever she was out of the room. He obeyed her blindly 
in all that concerned the care of his health. If I ventured 
to offer a suggestion he flew out at me. I was in great 
despair at this. My health soon began to sufl'er from mental 
grief, and I was seized with convulsions, which I had never 
had before. My Groverness came to visit me, and did all she 
could to aflord me relief. No one could guess the real cause 
of my complaint. I have abeady said my bedroom joined 
the Margrave's. I heard how he sent for my ladies every 
morning when he woke. If I were well enough to go to 
him he scarcely spoke to me, and at once sent for Mademoi- 
selle von Marwitz. Violent jealously took possession of my 
heart. Everyone observed my distress, but I took care no 
one should discover its cause. 

I knew Mademoiselle von Marwitz so well, how de- 
voted she was to me, and how virtuous, and felt certain 
that if she became aware of the cause of my sorrow, she 
would leave my Court. But the Margrave I could not 
forgive for behaving as he did towards me. For a year 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 425 

past I liad been blind to many little circumstances I now 
observed. 

He was still determined to carry out tbe plan of travelling 
through Italy, but I had lost all wish and inclination to do 
so, for I was convinced that the ease with which he would be 
brought in contact with Mademoiselle von Marwitz would 
only increase his love for her. Besides, my heart was too 
sad and heavy to find pleasure in anything but in a change 
in my present position. 

A new trouble completely crushed me. I have mentioned 
Meermann's husband's dissatisfaction. Immediately on his 
arrival at Berlin he presented my letter and the Margrave's 
to the King. On the King's enquiring after my health, this 
man took the opportunity of speaking most insolently of me. 
He said I had never been ill, and then expatiated on the 
great expenses I encouraged the Margrave to incur, which 
he said ruined the country. In fact, he roused the King's 
anger to such a degree against me, that he did not know how 
to contain himself. Meermann however did not dare con- 
fess to his wife how he had slandered me. He knew her 
honesty, and that she would never have tolerated his 
behaviour. 

This excellent woman went next day to see the Queen, who 
enquired most particularly about all those points on which I 
had been so cruelly accused, by which she found out that 
the direct opposite to what had been said was the case. 
Meermann (my maid) was besides ready to take an oath 
that all that had been said of me was entirely false. 

The Queen nevertheless wrote me a very strong letter, in 
which she told me in the King's name that he would never 
forgive me if I insisted on carrying out the project of going 
to Montpellier. At the same time I also heard from my 
brother, who told me all the circumstances I have before 
mentioned, and of my father's anger against me. "I, never- 
theless, advise you to continue your journey," he wrote. 



426 MEMOIRS OF THE 



'* The King has really no orders to give you, and it would be 
a sign of weakness on your part if you let yourself be 
intimidated by the false gossip of a man like Meermann. I 
recommend your getting rid of that scoundrel. Tuin him 
away at once, and show a determined spirit. It is true that 
his wife is most devoted to you, and does not deserve such 
harsh treatment, but you must get over that, in order to get 
rid of such a bad man." 

These two letters distressed me greatly, for I loved Meer- 
mann's wife dearly, yet knew the Margrave would approve 
of my brother's advice. My Groverness, who had been for a 
few days at Erlangen, helped me out of the difficulty. She 
defended my poor maid so warmly, that she induced the 
Margrave to pardon the husband. All these annoyances did 
much harm to my health. 

My Groverness several times discovered me in tears, and I 
at last gave in to her entreaties, and owned to her the reason 
of my altered appearance and my sorrow. Mademoiselle von 
Marwitz had observed that I was not in my usual spirits, but 
thought it was owing to 'my illness. When, therefore, my 
Groverness spoke to her about it, she evidently guessed the 
reason, for she was so terribly upset that she had an attack 
of fever in consequence. Mademoiselle von Sonnsfeld ob- 
served that I had not complained mthout some good reason, 
and that the Margrave treated me very coldly. She therefore 
spoke most seriously with him, and not without making an 
impression, for he excused himself and said it was all the 
consequence of his fever. Indeed, I now found him as 
tender and kind as of old. I overwhelmed Mademoiselle 
von Marwitz with affection that I might entirely put her 
very just apprehensions out of her head. 

It was now November, and it being too late in the season 
to proceed to Montpellier, we returned as soon as the 
Margrave had entirely recovered his health to Baireuth, 
where we were received with every demonstration of joy. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 427 

Soon after this Meermann and his wife returned from 
Berlin. I welcomed his wife most affectionately, and himself 
all the more coldly. He was greatly surprised to find me so 
perfectly informed of his conduct. I forgave him out of 
love for his wife, and he has since then proved himself so 
devoted to me that I have every reason to be satisfied with 
him. 

I had not followed my brother's advice either in regard to 
Meermann or to the Italian journey, in consequence of which 
I received a letter from him. I endeavoured to pacify him 
by putting forward good reasons for having acted as I had. 
I told him in my answer that the Margrave's health had 
been too delicate to undertake the journey ; that I had too 
good a heart to wish to make a person unhappy whom I 
loved and to whom I owed much gratitude. My brother was 
not satisfied with this explanation, and I observed that he 
wrote to me very coldly. 

About this time I heard the King was ill, and that the 
doctors feared a fresh attack of dropsy. His illness increased 
during the year 1740. 

We began the New Year (1740) with the Carnival. 
Several " Bals Costumes" were given at the castle, to which 
the nobility alone were invited. 

Diuing the lifetime of the late Margrave the clergy had 
gained great power and influence. A sect had been formed 
calling themselves "Pietisten" (Devotees), of which the late 
Margrave's confessor was the head. This man possessed 
inordinate ambition, combined with a most intriguing nature, 
but hid these qualities beneath the mask of religion. This 
man now began to stir the people up against us. He stood 
in high favour at the Danish Court, and we therefore had, 
on political grounds, to treat him with caution. In order to 
prevent gossip which might have done us harm, we were 
obliged to accustom the people by degrees to our gaieties. 
I lived in perfect peace and quiet, for the Margrave treated 



428 :NrEMOiRs of the 



me kindly, and Mademoiselle von Marwitz and I enjoyed 
tm disturbed the pleasures of fiiendsHp. 

The King's illness meanwhile became more serious, and 
the Queen wrote me word that the doctors gave hi-m only a 
month more to live. My sister of Brunswick had herself 
gone to Berlin to enquire after his healtL I felt it was my 
duty to do the same, and therefore spoke with the Margrave 
about it. He did not approve of the idea, but nevertheless 
allowed me to discuss it with my Grovemess. From an 
exaggerated feeling of friendship for me, she dissuaded me 
from undertaking the journey. She feared the shock of the 
Xing's approaching death would|^injure my health afresh. 
As however I insisted on carrying out my plan, she advised 
me to wiite to my brother. This did not suit me at all, but 
since the Margrave would not under any other condition 
hear of the journey, I had to submit, and sent the following 
letter to my brother by messenger : 

" I had up to this time flattered myself that the King's 
illness was curable. The last letter however which I 
received from the Queen informs me that there is no hope. 
I have therefore decided, if you approve of my doing so, to 
go to Berhn without further delay, to assure my dying 
father of my devotion, and to seek a reconcihation with him. 
I should, I confess, be in utter despair were he to die before 
I saw him, and had I to reproach myself with having 
neglected my duty towards him. I beg you therefore to 
send me an answer by messenger, and to let me know what 
you think of my plan." 

To this letter I received the following reply : 

" Tour message has filled me with the greatest surprise. 
What on earth do you want here ? You will be received 
like a dog, and get no thanks for your kindly feelings. 
Hemain at Baireuth and amuse vourself, and do not di-eam 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 429 

of coming to a hell where you hear only groans and cries, 
and where everyone is ill-used. The Queen disapproves of 
your plan as much as I do. It depends entirely on yourself 
if you will make the venture. Grood-bye, dear sister, I will 
inform you of the King's health each time the post leaves. 
He cannot recover, but the doctors say he may linger on for 
some time yet. I am always," &c. 

This letter put an end to all my plans, for I could no 
longer hope to obtain the Margrave's consent to my journey 
to Berlin. The King grew worse and worse, and closed his 
life and reign on the 31st May. It will not be out of place 
if I here say a few words about his singular and heroic 
death. 

He had spent a very bad night, and at seven in the 
morning had himself rolled in his chair to the Queen's room. 
Not having thought the danger so imminent she was stiU 
asleep. " Gret up," the King said to her, " I have only a few 
more hours to live, and wish to have the happiness of dying 
in your arms." He then had himself taken to my brothers, 
of whom he took a tender farewell, with the exception of the 
Crown Prince, whom he ordered to follow him into the next 
room. As soon as he reached it he sent for the first two 
ministers, the Prince of Anhalt, and all the generals and 
colonels at that time at Potsdam. After making them a 
little speech he thanked them for their past services, and 
asked them to be as faithful to the Crown Prince, his heir, as 
they had been to him. He then made over all his power 
and rights to the Crown Prince, whom he exhorted in the 
most touching manner, reminding him of the sacred duties of 
a sovereign towards his subjects. He recommended the 
army to his care, and specially the generals and oificers 
present. 

The King then turned to the Prince of Anhalt and said, 
" You are my oldest G-eneral : it is but fair that I should 



430 MEMOIRS OF THE 



leave you the best horse I possess." He then desired it 
should be brought round, and observing that the Prince was 
much upset, he added, "It is man's fate : he must pay his 
tribute to nature." As he was afraid the tears and lamenta- 
tions around him might cause him to lose his composure, the 
King begged all present to leave him. He ordered his 
servants to put on their new liveries, and his regiment the 
new uniforms he had just had made for them. The Queen 
now entered the room, and had barely been there a quarter 
of an hour, before the King fainted away. He was put to 
bed, and after much difficulty regained consciousness. On 
looking around him and observing his servants in their new 
liveries he exclaimed, "Vanity, vanity, all is vanity ! " After 
this, he asked his doctor if his end were near at hand. Upon 
the doctor's replying that he might live another half-hour, 
he asked for a looking-glass. Having looked at himself in 
it, he smiled, saying, " I am much altered, and shaU have a 
very ugly face when I die." Eepeating his question to the 
doctor, he received the answer that a quarter of an hour had 
passed and that his pulse was becoming more rapid. Upon 
this he said, " So much the better : I shall soon return to my 
nothingness." Those around him wished to let two clergy- 
men enter the room to pray with him, but the King replied 
that he knew just what they would say, and that they should 
go their way. After having repeated fainting fits he died at 
noon. The new King at once led the Queen to her room, 
where many tears were shed. I do not know whether they 
were sincere or false. 

The King sent me a messenger to inform me of the sad 
news. Although I was prepared for it, it upset me tembly. 
I cannot dissemble, and although I have had many sorrows I 
have felt more keenly, I can say with truth, that this was a 
great grief to me. 

I continued to be on the same terms with the King as 
formerly. I wrote to him whenever the post went, and 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 431 

always in the fulness of my heart. But six weeks went by 
withoTit my getting any answer. The letter which I at last 
received was only signed by the King. Soon after his 
accession he made a journey through Pommerania and 
Prussia. He continued his silence towards me, and I did 
not know what I was to think of it, for loving him so dearly 
I could not help being anxious at such indifference. 

At last, after three months, I was secretly informed he 
had left Berlin incognito to surprise me at the Hermitage, 
where I was at that moment. I nearly died of joy at the 
news, and was so upset by it that 'I was ill for two days in 
consequence. 

At length he arrived, accompanied by my second brother, 
whom I shall simply call " my brother," in order to dis- 
tinguish him from the other. My heart opened out afresh 
at this happy meeting. I had so much to tell the King that 
I could not find words. I observed at once that his affec- 
tionate manner towards me was forced. It staggered me 
rather, but I thought no more about it. " My brother " I 
found so grown and altered that Ifshould scarcely have known 
him. As I shall have occasion to mention him again later 
on, I will not here interrupt the thread of my narrative. 

The King conversed all day with me, but only on trivial 
subjects. There was a certain embarrassment in his manner 
which puzzled me. M. Algarotti, an Italian, and one of the 
clever men of the century, who was in the King's suite, was a 
great help to the conversation. What surprised me most 
was the King's great eagerness to see my sister of Anspach 
again, for whom he had never really cared. More than twenty 
messengers were sent next day to invite her in the tenderest 
terms to the Hermitage. She arrived on the following day, 
with the Margrave her husband. The King now showed no 
further consideration for me, but made no secret of his marked 
preference for my sister. He gave me a small bunch of 
flowers made of diamonds, worth two-hundred thalers (£30), 



432 MEMOIRS OF THE 



and a fan in whicli there was a little watch. To the Mar- 
grave he gave a snuff-box set in diamonds with the portrait 
of the late King. l[j sister received a present similar to 
mine, and of the same value, but he gave the Margrave 
of Anspach a snnS-box made of a white pebble which was 
cracked right throngh the centre, so that he at once gave it 
away to one of his pages. M. von Mlinichow, whom I have 
mentioned before, had become Equerry to the Xing, and 
accompanied him everywhere. This verdant youth was much 
liked at Court, and was of more account than any of those 
who had been devoted to the King when he was Crown 
Prince. During his stay at Baireuth he had been much in love 
with Mademoiselle von Marwitz, and flattered himseK that, 
if I were not opposed to it, he might receive her in marriage 
from the King and Greneral Marwitz. 



We arrived at Berlin at the end of October. My youngest 
brothers, all the Princes of the Blood, and the whole Court 
received us at the foot of the stairs. I was at once taken to 
my rooms, where I found the reigning Queen and my sisters. 
I heard to my great sorrow that the King had an attack of 
tertian fever. He sent me word that his illness prevented 
his seeing me, but that he hoped to have this pleasure next 
day. As soon as the first greetings had been exchanged I 
went to see the Queen-mother. Her sinister and melancholy 
expression struck me painfully. Everyone still wore deep 
mourning for the King, my father, and I felt his loss anew. 
Nature has its rights, and I can say '\;\ith truth I was never 
more upset than on this occasion. My meeting with the 
Queen was very trying. We dined that evening alone with 
the family, and I renewed my acquaintance with my brothers 
and sisters, whom I had not seen for eight years. 

I saw the King next day. He was thin and disfigured, 
and his manner was forced. Love makes one sharp-sighted, 
and fiiendship equally so, and I was therefore not taken in 



M AUG llA VINE OF BAIREUTH. 433 

by his empty assurances, and felt but too plainly that he no 
longer cared for me. He asked me to follow him to a castle 
in the country called Eheinsberg, where he was going for 
change of air. The reigning Queen was to accompany him, 
but as the house was small, he said he could not house me, 
but he would however take care to have a room arranged for 
me, and as soon as it was ready would let me know. 

As the Court wore mourning it presented no brilliant 
appearance. I went daily to the Queen-mother, who saw 
few people, and was overcome by her great grief. She had 
always flattered herself that she possessed great influence 
over the King, my brother, and hoped when he came to the 
throne to take part in the affairs of the State. To her great 
surprise and disgust, however, the King, who was very 
jealous of his own power, did not allow her any voice in 
matters of business. 

After the King's departure I remained a fortnight longer 
at Berlin. I was overwhelmed with marks of honour and 
respect, which might have misled anyone but myself. If you 
set store by mutual affection, such outward show makes but 
little impression, and a trifling mark of friendship proves 
more than any vain pomp. I observed during my short stay 
that great dissatisfaction existed throughout the country, and 
that the King had lost much of the affection of his subjects. 
He was spoken of publicly with little respect. Some com- 
plained of his want of consideration towards those that had 
been devoted to him whilst he was Crown Prince ; others of 
his stinginess, which they said was far greater than the late 
King's. Others, again, found fault with his distrust and 
suspicion, his violence, pride and dissimulation. Several 
circumstances, of which I had been a witness, made me 
believe these rumours. I would have spoken with the King 
about them, but my brother of Prussia and the reigning Queen 
dissuaded me from doing so. I will later on explain all this, 
and entreat those who may some day read these memoii's, 

FF 



434 MEMOIRS OF THE 



to suspend their judgment on the character of this great 
sovereign, till I have given it more in detail. The news of 
the death of Charles YI.,* which arrived at this moment, 
formed the chief topic of conversation and political specula- 
tion at the Court. Two days afterwards I arrived at Rheins- 
berg. The quinine the King had taken had quite cured 
him of his fever, but he still kept to his room, and continued 
to do so during the whole of my stay at Eheinsberg. 
It was surprising how the King, prostrated as he was by 
illness, was able to transact all business matters. Nothing 
was settled or took place without his knowledge, or with- 
out passing through his hands. The small amount of 
leisure time at his disposal he spent in the society of clever 
and distinguished men, such as Voltaire, Maupertius, Al- 
garotti, and Jordan. In the evening there was generally a 
concert, when the King, in spite of his weakness, himself 
played two or three concertos on the flute. He was, without 
any flattery, a real artist on that instrument. After supper 
he devoted his time to writing poems, for which he had 
a. great talent. All these occupations were a recreation 
to him. The subject that most occupied his mind at this 
time was the conquest of Silesia. His preparations for this 
object were kept so secret, and were made so cleverly, that 
the Austrian envoy at Berlin never heard a word of them 
till they were concluded. 

The stay at Rheinsberg pleased me only on account of the 
pleasant society I met with there. I saw the King very 
seldom, and had no reason to be satisfled with our interviews. 
They consisted in the exchange of forced civilities, or in 
bitter jokes about the Margrave's flnancial difficulties. The 
King went so far as often to turn him and the other Princes 
of the Empire into ridicule, a rudeness I felt very much 
indeed. Added to this I found myself unfortunately 

* Emperor of Germany and of the Holy Roman Empire. He died 
20th October, 1740. 



MARGKAVINE OF BATREUTH. 435 

involved in a very delicate matter, whicli might have had 
very serious consequences. As it has however remained a 
secret up to this time, and as the honour of several people to 
whom I owe consideration was concerned in it, I will pass it 
all over in silence, and will therefore turn to another subject, 
which may appear less interesting, but which, as it concerns 
this narrative, I feel bound to mention. 

Madame von Sonnsfeld and the elder Mademoiselle von 
Marwitz were the only members of my household that had 
accompanied me to Eheinsberg. Mademoiselle von Marwitz 
had become very intimate with two Mademoiselles von 
Tertow, Ladies-in-waiting to the Queen. They were very 
amiable, but made themselves generally hated on account of 
their love of gossip and raillery. 

Madame von Morian was no longer young, but had kept 
her looks wonderfully, knew the ways of the world, was 
lively, and had managed to overcome all prejudices. Her 
behaviour was not praiseworthy, and she seemed to have lost 
all sense of propriety. She said such things while sitting at 
the Queen's dinner-table as made even gentlemen blush. 
This society, which was calculated to ruin a young creature, 
had the very worst effect on Mademoiselle von Marwitz. 
The love of ridicule, the ambiguous remarks and the im- 
proper behaviour of Madame von Morian and of the two 
Tertows were copied by her, and she shaped her behaviour 
according to theirs. Her conduct gave credence to rumours 
afloat about her. Some gossips rallied her about her love 
passages with the Margrave, and remarked to her upon her 
influence over him. In a word, nothing else was talked of. 
But they did her injustice. She slept and lived in the same 
apartments with her aunt, and never saw the Margrave 
except in her presence or mine. 

Characters change by slow degrees. A young person 
suddenly launched into the great world may be misled by its 
amusements, but would forget herself only gradually. When 

FF 2 . 



436 



MEMOIRS OF THE 



I told her of tlie stories circulated about her, she was beside 
herself. All the good principles I had endeavoured to 
imbue her with, presented themselves to her in their full 
force. She said she would leave the Court, and wished to re- 
turn home to her father. I had to use all mj powers of per- 
suasion to prevent her doing so, and it was only with much 
trouble that I was able to pacify her. I succeeded after a 
time in proving her virtue without a shadow of doubt, and 
putting an end to the gossip. It had however put ideas into 
her head, as will be seen later on, which she would otherwise 
never have thought of. 

We returned to Berlin at the beginning of December. 
The disturbances caused by the death of the Emperor obhged 
the Margrave to return home, but in order not to displease 
the King, I remained in Berlin. After the mourning had 
been discarded, the carnival festivities, which always take 
place at Berlin in December, January, and February, were 
commenced. On Mondays the King gave a masked ball at 
the castle, on Tuesdays a'public concert took place ; Wednes- 
days and Fridays masked balls were given in the to^sTl in 
the houses of the highest officials. These gaieties were not 
of long duration, for the King's great plan suddenly saw 
light. Kis troops marched against Silesia, and the King 
left Berlin to place himself at the head of his army. I was 
greatly upset as I took leave of him. His project involved 
great risks, and might, if it failed, have most disastrous con- 
sequences. These reflections made the parting all the more 
painful. I would have awaited his retmTi, for he intended 
coming back for a few days at the end of six weeks, had not 
the circumstance, which I have passed over in silence, still 
troubled me. My impatience also to see the Margrave 
again prevented my prolonging my stay at Berlin. 

I left Berlin on the 11th January, 1741, and arrived at 
the end of eleven days at Baireuth. The inundations had 
so destroyed the roads that I could travel only fom* houi's 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 437 

each day. Mademoiselle von Marwitz and Iter sister deafened 
me during the whole journey with their lamentations at 
having left Berlin. " Here we are, obliged to return to that 
devil's nest where we are bored to death after having tasted 
the pleasures of Berlin," Mademoiselle von Marwitz ex- 
claimed. These remarks had already annoyed me more than 
once, but as I looked on her as a person the j&re of whose 
youth carried her away I tried to find an excuse for her. 
She appeared too after a time to have recovered herself, and 
to have given up her follies. I returned to my accustomed 
existence at Bau^euth. Many strangers visited us, which 
added much to the brightness of our Court. 

The fall of Grlogau* made me very happy. After the 
King my brother had laid siege to it, he took it by storm. 
This town was the key of Silesia. 

A short time after this occurrence. Count Cobentzel, the 
Envoy of the Queen of Hungary, Maria Theresa, arrived at 
Baireuth. He brought me a letter from the widowed Em- 
press, in which she implored me to use my influence with the 
King my brother, to induce him to make peace. The Queen, 
her daughter, was without money or troops, and had been 
attacked without the least warning. In spite of her precarious 
position she had refused to entertain the King's proposal. 
She was determined to resist to the last, rather than give 
up the four Duchies, t which were the cause of the whole 
dispute. All Count Cobentzel's entreaties, all the favourable 
conditions he offered me, would not induce me to interfere 
in this matter. I did not even think it advisable to write 
to the King about it, the more so as no explanation had been 
given as to the conditions of such an agreement. The King 
continued to make successful progress. On the 10th of April, 

* One of the chief towns of Silesia. It was taken by Frederick the 
Great in his first Silesian war on March 10th, 1741. — Note by Tr&nslatoi'. 

t Jagemdorf, Liegnitz, Brieg and Wohlan. 



438 MEMOIRS OF THE 



the Lattle of Mollwitz was fought, resulting in a victory 
which in every way reflected honour on the King. This 
victory entirely justified his talents as a Greneral, for his first 
attempt had heen a master-stroke. On this occasion General 
Marwitz was dangerously wounded in the thigh. The siege 
and fall of Neisse was the result of this victory, and led to 
peace being concluded. It is difficult to describe my joy at 
these good tidings, which I celebrated by fetes. 

This year passed by quietly for me, but it was also the 
last in which I experienced any peace or quiet. I now 
began a new career, which was far harder and more difficult 
than any over which I had before triumphed. I have prided 
myself on my perfect honesty, and shall therefore not 
endeavour to hide any of the faults I have committed. I 
may have sinned against rules of policy, but I cannot re- 
proach myself with any want of uprightness. 

As General Marwitz' wound was fatal he implored me to 
let his daughter go and see him, a request I felt I could not 
refuse. He had become Governor of Breslau, and com- 
manded all the troops in Silesia. His daughter, whom I had 
thought highly delighted at the permission to visit her father, 
came crying to me two days before her departure in a great 
state of despair. 

I asked her in great surprise what was the cause of her 
distress. She could however scarcely answer me for sobbing. 
At length she said, " I now see I must leave your Eoyal 
Highness. The rumours that were circulated at Berlin 
attacking my reputation have found but too much credence. 
Nothing is clearer to me than my honour, and the stain cast 
on it is more bitter to me than death. I shall become the 
most miserable creature on earth, for I feel I cannot live 
without you. To increase my misery and to drive me still 
further to despair, my father insists on my manying. I 
am therefore to become a double victim, on the one hand to 
the distress at the separation from you, and on the other to 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 439 

the necessity of uniting myself to a man I probably 
hate." 

Her tears and words touched me much. I did my utmost 
to comfort her, and succeeded after two hours in pacifying 
her and obtaining her promise not to leave my service. The 
reader may judge if after such a conversation I could mis- 
trust the girl. Could I believe she was cruelly deceiving me, 
and robbing me of my greatest earthly treasure — my 
husband's heart ? She was constantly with me, and she was 
so prudent in her behaviour towards him that it would have 
dispelled all suspicion, had I entertained any. After her 
departure her sister showed me much devotion, and her 
cheerful, lively, clever disposition made the time pass quickly. 
The Margrave joked much with her without raising any un- 
easiness in my mind, and I was glad when he was amused. 
I hated restraint, and therefore wished to put none on him. 

About this time the Elector of Bavaria was elected Eoman 
Emperor. He passed incognito through Baireuth at the 
beginning of the year 1742, on his way to Mannheim to 
attend the wedding of the Prince and Princess of Sukbach ; 
and thence he was going to Frankfort for the coronation. 
He came through Baireuth so poorly attended that we should 
probably not have heard of it had he not sent us one of his 
gentlemen with a kind message and his excuses for not 
stopping. The Margrave at once mounted his horse and 
hastened after him. He used so much speed that he overtook 
him three miles from the town. The Emperor* left his 
carriage at once, and showed him every mark of civility. 
After conversing together for about half an hour they parted, 
mutually satisfied with each other. 

Soon after this, we heard the coronation was fixed for the 
31st January. We were so curious to see it that we deter- 



* Charles VII. Emperor of Germany and of the Holy Roman Empire 
began to reign 1742, died 1745. 



440 MEMOIES OF THE 



mined to go to Fran"kfort in the strictest incognito, to arrive 
there on the day of the ceremony, and to leave again the 
following morning. Onr envoy, M. von Berghofen, was 
instmeted to arrange oni^ journey and help us to observe our 
incognito. We fixed our departure for the next week, when 
the Duchess of Wiirtemberg took it into her head to pay 
us a visit. This lady, who was famed for her bad behaviour, 
went to Berlin to visit her sons, whose education she had 
entrusted to the King. They had passed through Baireuth 
not long before this, and the Duke had on this occasion fallen 
in love with my daughter. As she was nine years old and 
he fourteen this love affaii' amused us very much. I found 
the" Duchess had kept her looks wonderfully. She has fine 
features, but talks so much as to silence all around her. Her 
voice is at the same time so shrill that it deafens one. Still 
she is clever and talks well. Her manner towards those she 
is anxious to attract is most pleasant and courteous, but she 
is very free and easy with gentlemen. In her conduct you 
find the most curious contradictions of pride and baseness. 
Her behaviour had brought her into such odium, that her 
visit gave me very little satisfaction. She was Eegent during 
the minority of her son. But I will not further describe her 
character here, as she will often appear in the course of these 
memoirs. 

I return to [Xlademoiselle von Marwitz. She had asked 
me for an extension of leave, but when she heard of our 
proposed journey, started off at once, and arrived at Baireuth 
when I least expected her, on the same day as the Duchess. 
As soon as I saw her she displeased me. She gave herself 
great airs, talked incessantly of her father's large property, 
of the approval she had met with at Berlin, of the civihties 
that had been shown her, and of the great sacrifice she was 
making in returning to me. When I am fond of a person, 
I am very sensitive, as I have mentioned more than once. 
It is possible I expect too much of my friends, but I do 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 441 

expect the same refinement of feeling as I study myself. It 
was not to be found in tliis behaviour, and this vain boasting 
displeased me much. It all depends on the manner in which 
things are said. You can prove to your friends what you 
have done for them if you wish to show them afiection, and 
thereby earn their gratitude. But if I reproach anyone 
for a service rendered him, I take from it all its merit. As 
regards myself, I am quite satisfied if I can give pleasure to 
my friends, and never wish them to find out to whom they 
owe it. I am rewarded by the fact of having been able to 
be of use to them. As I have never been able to dissemble, 
Mademoiselle von llarwitz soon observed my answers were 
somewhat short. This annoyed her so much that she com- 
plained to the Margrave about it. He treated me very 
coldly for some days, which troubled me so much that I 
asked him the cause, which he at length told me. " You 
have a bad heart," he said, "if you can ill-use people you 
love. Mademoiselle von Marwitz is beside herself, and 
fancies you no longer like her, and has complained bitterly 
to me about it." I was as much surprised as I was annoyed 
that this girl had turned to the Margrave and mixed him up 
in our little dispute. Observing however that he was vexed 
with me, I replied merely that I was the same as I always 
was. On this assurance Mademoiselle von Marwitz came to 
me, and made me many protestations of affection. I was 
convinced anew that she had only erred from want of 
thought, and from too great a love of amusement. Peace 
was therefore re-estabhshed. 

We intended starting on the 27th January, when Polnitz, 
who is famed for his memoirs and his mad freaks, suddenly 
arrived. He told us that as the Austrians had entered 
Bavaria, the King had thought it well to make a diversion 
by which to help his ally and march into Bohemia. The 
Duchess,* who was going to BerHn partly for the purpose 

* Of Wiirtembersr. 



442 ^rEMoiEs OF the 



of speakmg with tlie King, was placed in a great difficnltr 
"by this unforeseen occnrrence. She determined to remain 
with US till the King's retnm. It was not so easy for ns to 
get rid of her. but after many schemes we at length 
succeeded. »She started for Berlin on the 2Sth (.January^ 
and we left the same day for Frankfort. 

The bad roads and the inundations obHged us to trayel 
day and night, and we at last reached the gates of Frankfort 
on the 30th January. IT. von Berghofen, to whom we had 
sent, met us just outside the town and informed U5 that the 
coronation had been postponed to the 12th February ; that 
eyeryone knew of our arrival ; and that it would be impossible 
to preserve our incognito if we entered the town that day. 
I was dead tired, and tormented by a very bad cold. After 
some consultation we determined to retrace our steps to a 
little village a mile fi'im Frankfort and spend the night 
there. 

Xext day ]V[. von Berghofen came again to see us. He 
had taken infinite trouble in persuading everyone of their 
mistake, and had been able to arrange matters in such a way 
that we were able to get quietly into the town that evening, 
in order to witness the Emperor's entry next day. I had 
only the two Mademoiselles von !M]arwitz with me, for my 
dear Grovemess was no longer alle to undergo fatigue. My 
wardrobe was ia very bad order, for my ladies and I had 
each of us only a black '* Adiienne,'' which I had invented 
in order to lessen the amount of luggage. The Mai'gi'ave, 
Diichatelet and Sehonburg, were merely in uniform. In 
order not to be recognized they had blackened their eyebrows, 
which suited to perfection the black wigs they wore. I 
thought I should have died of laughter when I saw their get 

AVe arrived at Berghofen's house adorned in this manner. 
He scarcely knew us again. I had padded out my dress, 
which gave me a most venerable appeai'ance, and we all wore 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 443 

hoods which came right over our faces. Berghofen thought 
we could not possibly be recognized, and proposed our going 
to the French theatre. This proposition, as can be easily 
understood, pleased us greatly, and we hid ourselves in a 
box in the second tier. The Emperor's entry next day was 
splendid, but I will not stop to describe it. That same 
evening I had the pleasure of going to a masked ball, and as 
no one knew me, I amused myself by teasing the other 
masks. 

The fear of being recognized obliged us to retire to a 
little cottage belonging to a private gentleman, where we 
remained for several days. The cold was intolerable, and, for 
the small amount of pleasure I enjoyed at Erankfort, I suf- 
fered from the annoyance both Mademoiselles von Marwitz 
caused me. They were proud beyond bearing, insisted on 
being waited on, and expected to be treated with the same 
marks of respect and honour as I was. The elder had 
infected the younger one's cleverness with her pride, and 
the younger encouraged the elder in her love of ridicule 
and gossip. They studied the faults and weak points of 
everybody, and found pleasm^e in criticising the whole Court 
unmercifully, and even did so in their presence. 

As they were very clever, their remarks amused the Mar- 
grave, who spent the whole day in their room, and never 
observed that he was often the object of their ridicule. If I 
was present they never said a word, did not even answer my 
questions, but sat themselves down in a corner where they 
laughed like fools. As I could no longer tolerate this stupid 
behaviour I at length spoke my mind plainly. I told them dis- 
tinctly that I was much displeased with them, and endeavoured, 
by putting forward good reasons, to bring them to a better 
frame of mind. The younger remained silent, but the 
elder rode the high horse, and even dared to speak her 
mind to me. Would to Grod I had quarrelled seriously and 
broken with them both at that time ! How much sorrow I 



444 MEMOIRS OF THE 



should liave spared myself ! I was afraid, if I used my 
authority, to make a disturbance, and the hope that I 
might improve them caused me not to show myself in 
my true light. 

My return to Frankfort helped me to forget the sad 
reflections this occurrence had called forth, and to distract 
my mind. I missed not a single representation at the 
theatre, and not a single ball. One day as I was at the 
theatre my hood slipped, and Prince Greorge of Hesse-Cassel, 
who was just looking at me, recognized me. He told the 
Prince of Orange, who was standing near him, and they both 
came without warning into my box. It was now no longer 
possible to keep up our disguise, for they would not either of 
them leave us. They took me home in their carriage, and 
begged the Margrave, who could not refuse them, to allow 
them to remain to supper. Prom that day forward they 
never left our side. The Prince of Orange, whose cleverness 
and agreeable conversation pleased me greatly, is so well 
known that it is unnecessary to describe him. His wife, a 
Princess of England, was "at Cassel, and he promised to let 
her come to Frankfort that I might make her acquaintance. 
His stay was, however, so short that he was not able to 
keep his word. 

Next day we went to a ball. The Elector of Cologne, 
who had heard what had taken place at the theatre on the 
previous day, was watching for us. As soon as I appeared 
he invited me to dance with him, said he knew me, 
and talked with me for some time. He presented to 
me his niece. Princess Clementine of Bavaria, two 
Princesses of Sulzbach, and his brother. Prince Theodore. 
We could now no longer keep up our incognito, but 
our disguise prevented our aj)pearing ofiicially. We 
therefore retui'ued to our privacy, and after a long con- 
sultation sent a messenger to Baireuth to fetch us all we 
required. 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 445 

*I was waiting for the Margrave to get into the carriage, 
when he entered the room with a lady whom he presented to 
me as Madame de Belisle, wife of the French Envoy. I 
had up to this time carefully avoided her, for I had feared 
that she would lay claim to rights which I was not wiUing to 
grant her. I made up my mind at once, and treated her in 
the same manner as I did all the other ladies who visited me. 
The whole conversation consisted in singing the praises of 
the King. I found Madame de Belisle very different from 
what I had been led to imagine. She knew those she had to 
do with, but her whole manner was like that of a "soubrette," 
and she had but little presence. 

I spent two or three days in the cottage, where the Prince 
of Orange was most faithful in keeping us company, and I 
returned to Frankfort only the day before the coronation. 
I shall not stop to describe that ceremony. The poor Emperor 
did not have all the satisfaction he must have expected, for 
he was terribly ill with gout, and could scarcely stand 
upright. In addition to this, circumstances were not 
favourable to him. The incident at Lienz had obliged the 
French to retreat, and owing to this the Austrians were 
enabled to enter Bavaria, which they devastated unmercifully. 
My brother the King raised the Emperor's hopes a little by 
entering Bohemia, but as the Emperor had neither money 
nor troops he was obliged to seek to gain over the Princes of 
the Empire in order to obtain their help. He therefore 
treated the envoys of those Princes that had electoral rights, 
and specially the Margrave's two ministers, Messrs. von 
Berghofen and von Comartin, with marked distinction. 
These two gentlemen, who were of comparatively low birth, 
were intensely flattered by the Emperor's attentions, and 



* Something seems to have been left out here, or it may perhaps merely 
appear so from a difference in the style of writing, for in the succession of 
time nothing is wanting. 



446 MEMOIES OF THE 



Marshal Belisle won them over entirely by the gold he let 
gHtter before their eyes. In consequence of this they made 
a treaty, which they laid before the Margrave the very day 
we returned to Frankfort. He spoke with me about it, and 
assured me it contained such advantageous conditions, that 
he had not hesitated to approve of it. This treaty was 
really concluded before we left, but was to be ratified only 
when the Margrave had fulfilled its first conditions. Berg- 
hof en was determined to keep the treaty so carefully that the 
Margrave could not even give it to me to read. But I must 
now return to my narrative. 

The business I have just referred to obhged us to remain a 
few days longer at Frankfort. After our things arrived, I 
received everybody under the name of a Countess of Eeuss, 
and our house was never empty, even M. de Belisle coming 
to it several times. 

I do not know how M. von Berghofen managed it, but he 
certainly represented to the Margrave that it would not look 
well if I left Frankfort without having seen the Empress. 
Berghofen, who had much cleverness, was in great favour 
with the Margrave on account of the services he had ren- 
dered, and also on account of the pretended advantages 
obtained by the treaty. My husband allowed him to propose 
this meeting to me, leaving me free to act as I thought best. 
I declined positively to entei-tain the idea. The rules of 
etiquette prevented royal personages from paying each other 
visits. As the daughter of a King, I was not allowed to 
place the honour of my house in a difficulty. There was no 
precedent of a King's daughter and the Empress having met, 
and I did not know to what rights I ought to lay claim. 

Berghofen was so furious that he even forgot the respect 
due to me. He screamed at me that I was ruining the 
Margrave by offending the Empress, that women were of no 
good, and that it would have been far better if I had re- 
main'ed at Baireuth instead of coming to Frankfoi-t, where I 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. ' 447 

interfered with the Margrave's affairs, and where my pride 
was a bar to his plans. This rudeness neither moved me nor 
shook my determination in the least, and I merely laughed 
at it all. In order however to pacify him, I made my own 
conditions. I desired first of all that the Empress' Court 
should receive me at the foot of the stairs, secondly, that she 
should meet me at the door of her bedroom, and, thirdly, 
that she should offer me an armchair to sit on. He promised 
he would speak to the Empress' Mistress of the Eobes about 
it, and to do everything in his power to satisfy me. I risked 
nothing in making these conditions: if they were granted 
me then I had asserted my position, and if they were 
declined, then I had a good excuse for not paying the 
visit. 

Meanwhile I had the opportunity of consulting with M. von 
Schwerin and M. von Klingrave, Ministers of the King. The 
latter was highly thought of at the Imperial Court. Both 
were of opinion that I could not insist on the armchair, still 
they thought it best to adhere to its being given me, or they 
would find another way in which to settle the ceremonial. 
As the King was nearly related to the House of Bavaria, 
and the Margrave had every reason to treat it well, there 
were sufficient reasons to excuse my conduct. I was to visit 
the Empress under the name of Countess of Eeuss, which 
already denoted my being incognito. Under this title I 
could not lay claim to be treated with the honours due to the 
Crown Princess of Prussia and Margravine of Baireuth. 

Had I had time I would have written to the King, and 
left it to him to decide. But even had I sent a messenger, 
the answer would have come too late, and I was therefore 
obliged to submit. They disputed all day over the con- 
ditions I had made. The two first were granted me, but all 
that could be obtained with respect to the third was, that the 
Empress would use quite a small armchair, whilst she gave 
me a chair. 



448 MEMOIRS OF THE 



Next day I saw this Eoyal personage. I own that had I 
been in her place I would have made all the rules of etiquette 
and ceremony the excuse for not being obliged to appear. 
The Empress was small and stout, round as a ball, very ugly, 
and without dignity or manner. Her mind corresponded to 
her body. She was terribly bigoted, and spent her whole 
day praying. The old and ugly are generally the Al- 
mighty's portion. She received me trembling all over, and 
was so upset that she could not say a word. 

After some silence I began the conversation in French. 
She answered me in her Austrian dialect that she could not 
speak in that language, and begged I would speak in German. 
The conversation did not last long, for the Austrian and low 
Saxon tongues are so different from each other that to those 
acquainted with only one the other is unintelligible. This 
is what happened to us. A third person would have laughed 
at our misunderstandings, for we caught only a word here 
and there, and had to guess the rest. The poor Empress 
was such a slave to etiquette that she would have thought it 
high treason had she spoken to me in a foreign language, 
though she understood French quite well. The Emperor 
was to have been present at the interview, but he had been 
taken so ill that fear was entertained for his life. He 
deserved a better fate. He was gentle, kind, and gracious, 
and had the gift of winning people's hearts. One might well 
have said of him, that he would have shone in a humbler 
sphere, whilst more brilliant surroundings threw him into the 
shade. His ambition was greater than his intellect, and his 
position lay beyond his powers. He had, unfortunately, no 
one about him to supply the talents that were wanting. 

After remaining at Frankfort a few days longer, which 
were spent in fetes and gaieties, I at last returned to Baireuth 
at the end of February. We were followed there shoii:ly 
afterwards by M. de Montaulieu, Chamberlain to the Duchess 
of Wurtemberg. He brought the Margrave and myself 



MARGHAYIXE OF BAIREUTH. 449 

letters from the King, from tlie Queen my mother, and from 
the Duchess, containing an offer of marriage for my 
daughter ^ith the young Duke of Wiirtemherg. As this 
luiion was a very advantageous one, and had the support of 
the King and Queen, we gave it our consent. We post- 
poned the concKision of the conditions till the Duchess' 
retiu-n from Berlin. 

Om^ retiu^n home induced the Imperial Court to insist on 
the fuliilment of the fii'st article of the Treaty. After M. 
von Berghofen had sent the Margrave this wonderful 
masterpiece in politics, he let me read it. Its contents were 
as follows : 

The Margrave bound himself, firstly, to raise an Infantry 
Eegiment of eight hundred men for the Emperor ; secondly, 
to assist him by every means in his power in the Franconian 
circles ; thirdly, to try and induce that district, if circum- 
stances allowed of it, to declare itself for the Emperor. In 
return for these services the Emperor, firstly, granted the 
Margrave the command of the regiment and the appoint- 
ment of the officers, up to the captains, twenty-five gulden 
(florins) for every man, their uniforms and arms ; secondly, 
he gave him over the ju8 a/ppeUanclum ; thirdly, the 
Emj)eror gave him the little town of Redwitz and its district 
(this last article was to be carried out only if the Emperor 
took possession of Bohemia, as the town is in that territory) ; 
foiu'thly, the Emperor promised him his support in the 
Franconian district, in order that the Margrave might be 
appointed Marshal and Commander-in-Chief of the troops of 
that district. 

The Margrave had spent his time at Frankfort amidst 
constant distractions. The gaieties, the late nights, and the 
great confidence he reposed in Berghofen, had prevented his 
considering seriously the results which the treaty would in- 
volve. Now that he read it over a second time it appeared 
to him in quite a different light. The conditions seemed to 

GG 



■ioO MEMOIRS OF THE 



liim as deceptive as thev had at first appeared advantageous. 
The sum promised with which to raise the regiment was so 
small that the loss hecame apparent. The jus appellandum 
is an advantage only to unjust princes. An upright 
sovereign has always that right, for he never gives his subjects 
cause to appeal to the Imperial Courts of Justice. The title 
of Commander-in-Chief is an empty honour, and possesses 
no other advantage than that of commanding the troops of the 
district in time of war. The little town of Eedwitz was a 
mere nothing, while its possession was uncertain, and its 
advantage as little satisfactory as the rest of the articles 
mentioned. This and many other reasons induced the 
Margrave to break off' the negotiations. 

I received many unpleasant letters from the King my 
brother on the subject of this treaty. He comjilained with 
much bitterness to me that the negotiations had been begun 
without his knowledge. I suppressed the first of these 
letters, and gave no answer on this point. At last he "^Tote 
me word that I was to speak in his name to the ATargrave and 
make him understand that he could not conclude treaties 
without consulting the Head of the Family. Aly husband 
dictated his answer to me, which was very curt, and from 
this moment war was declared. I now received from the 
King only very harsh letters, and was even told that he 
spoke most unfavourably of me and turned me pubhcly into 
ridicule. This behaviour hurt me very much, but I hid my 
annoyance and treated him as I always had. 

The Duchess of Wiirtemberg arrived about this time. 
The agreement as to the mamage of our children had been 
settled at Berlin. It had been decided that the marriage 
should only take place when both parties, having attained a 
proper age, were agreeable to it. This projected union 
obliged me much against my will to become more intimately 
acquainted with the Duchess. She talked pleasantly, but 
possessed a mind which occupied itself only "v\ith tiifles. At 



MARGRAVINE OF BAIREUTH. 451 

first tills is rather amusing, but after a time it became very 
wearisome. She was in a perpetual state of merriment and 
high spirits, and, as her chief study consisted in trying 
to attract others, all her endeavours had no other end in 
view. Jokes, childish behaviour, looks, in fact every- 
thing that deserves the name of coquetry was used for that 
purpose. The two Mademoiselles von Marwitz imagined the 
Duchess' behaviour was copied from the French, and that in 
order to be in the fashion people must adopt the same. The 
elder, who had much influence mth the Margrave, induced 
him to alter the whole Court. In a fortnight all was 
changed : there was nothing but romping, throwing napkins 
at one another's heads, running about like wild horses, and 
finally singing very ambiguous French songs. Far re- 
moved from being like French ladies, I believe if any French 
person had ^dsited us at this moment he would have 
thought he was in the company of opera girls and 
actresses. My endeavours to put a stop to this disorder 
were in vain. My G-ovemess thundered and inveighed against 
her nieces, but instead of answering her they turned their 
backs on her. How happy I was still at that time ! Oh ! 
those Marmtzes deceived me, and I knew nothing of their 
intrigues, for the Margrave showed me as much attention as 
ever. I slept quietly whilst my destruction was being 
worked out. 

The Duchess' departure made me hope to restore things 
to their former condition, but I soon observed the evil had 
taken root. As I have since then perceived, Mademoiselle 
von Marwitz had at that moment made her plan. She had 
great ambition, and in order to satisfy it she felt she must 
entangle the Margrave in a net of amusements and gaieties, 
a fault to which he w^as already too much inclined. 
She hoped by that means to distract his mind fi'om his 
affairs, to which he gave such earnest attention. She knew 
also how to deceive me by having me informed of important 

GG 2 



452 AIEMOIES OF THE MAKGRAVI^-E OF BAIREFTH. 

business matters, and endeaTourecl to allay my suspicions by 
tbe confidence shown me by the Margrave. She meanwhile 
kept the appointments of some people and the rewards given 
to others in her own hands, and particularly the finances. 
The rumours that had been circulated at Berlin about her, 
and the remarks on her position and power over the Mar- 
grave, had led her to make many reflections on the subject. 
Her desire to make her great genius felt ovemded every 
other consideration. She had observed his weakness for her, 
and made use of it to ride according to her own will and 
pleasure. She thought that if she gained my confidence, and 
avoided every occasion of rousing my suspicions, she would 
at last throw such a glamour over me, that should I discover 
her intrigues I shoidd be powerless to defend myself. It was 
true her behaviour, as well as the Margrave's, were calcidated 
to keep me in complete ignorance of their secret under- 
standing. 

We went to Stuttgart at the end of Jrdy, where we had 
been invited by the Duchess of Wiirtemberg. I will not 
describe this Court. I thought it most repugnant, full of 
ceremonies and civilities. 



Here the Memoirs suddenly hrea'k ojf, and the Jlargmvine 
has not left any special record of the last fifteen years of her 
life. On the other hand, there remain her rnost interesting 
correspondence icith her brother, Frederick the Great, and her 
letters to Voltaire, ichich are carried on to tlie time of Iter 
death. — Xote by Translator. 



INDEX 



Albertine, Margravine, 295 
Albertine, Princess, 293, 295-6 
Alexander, Dona Count, 5 
Algarotti, 431, 434 
Allodial Estates, 118, 197, 266 
Altdorf, Meeting of sovereigns at, 243 
Alton a, Margrave at, 397 
Amelia, Princess of England, 14 
Anielie, Princess of Prussia, see 

Prussia 
Amelie, Countess (Finkenstein), 52, 

64,89 
Anhalt, Prince of, 5, 6, 149, 429 
Anhalt, Bernberg, Prince of, 293, 295 
Anhalt, Schaumberg, Princess, 294 
Anna Maria, see Prussia, Princesses 
Anspach, Visit to, 260, 337 
Anspach, Crown Prince at, 136 
Anspach, Caroline of, see England, 

Queen 
Anspach, Margrave of, 83, 89, 195, 

205, 250, 405-'6 
Anspach, Margravine, see Prussia, 

Princess Frederica Louise 
Anspach, Prince of, 289 
Arlington, Lady, 35, 40 
Augustus, Ferdinand, see Prussia, 

Princess 
Augustus, William, see Prussia, 

Princes 
Austria, Treaty with Spain, 56 
Austria, Treaty with Prussia, 57 
Austria, Emperor, see Germany 
Austrian Envoy, see Seckendorf 
Austrian peace with France, 385, 395 



B. 



Baireuth, Court, 222 ; clergv of, 219 
finances of, 288 ; town, 220 



Baireuth, Margraves of — 
Christian Ernest, 196 
George Christian, 233 
George Frederick Charles, 102, 
150, 197-8, 222, 235, 249, 289, 
335, 361, 364, 367, 369-70, 373, 
375 
Henry, education of, 180-2 ; be- 
trothal, 183 ; reception by 
Queen, 186 ; colonelcy, 189 ; 
at Wusterhausen, 192 ; insults 
to, 206 ; marriage, 199 ; return 
to Baireuth, 215 ; at Berlin, 
257 ; difference with King, 
278 ; illness, 281 ; ordered to 
Pasewalk, 284 ; return to 
Baireuth, 321 ; at Anspach, 
337 ; leaves for the war, 357 ; 
at Erlangen, 386, 394 ; at 
Berlin, 432, 436 
Baireuth, Margravine, see Holstein, 
Prussia, Princesses, nobility of, 218 
Baireuth, Princesses — 

Charlotte, 222, 238, 255, 260, 

288, 290, 344, 349-50 
Frederica, 266, 288-9, 322, 440 
Wilhelmine,222, 226, 230-31,236, 
239, 260, 345 
Bamberg and Wiirzberg, Bishop of, 

385-6, 389-90, 404 
Bavaria, Elector of, see Germany 
Bavaria, Invasion of, 441, 445 
Bavaria, Princess Clementine, 444 
Bedenbruck, 137 
Beist, M. von, 417 
Belisle, Marshal, 446 
Berghofen, von, 440, 442, 445-6 
Berlin, Visit to, 268-420, 432 
Berlin, State apartments, 199 
Berneck, 353 
Berwick, Marshal de, 358 
Bevern, Duke of, 113, 177, 196, 206-9, 
283, 324, 358, 370 



454 



INDEX. 



Bevern, Duchess of, 176, 177, 199, 

808, 311, 312, 318, 370 
Bevem, Prince Charles of, 113, 185, 

196, 206-7, 209, 283, 289, 312, 370 
Bevern, Princess of, see Prussia 
Bevern, Princess Charles of, see 

Prussia, Princess Charlotte 
Bilinska, Countess, 68 
Bindemann, von, 200, 244-5 
Blankenburg, Duke of, 113 
Blaspiel, Mdme. von, 16, 17, 22, 23 
Bodenbruck, Mdlle. von, 412-3 
Bohemia, Invasion of, 445 
Bork, von, 95, 101, 171 
Bourguait, M. de, 81, 93 
Borkhausen, Count, 383 
Brandenburg, Elector of, Frederick 

^Yilliam, 7, note 
Electorate, 69, note 
Electresses, Sophie Louise, 7, 

note 
Sophie Dorothea, 7, note, 60 
Brandenburg - Culmbach, Margrave 

George William of, 180, 325 
Brandenburg- Culmbach, Margra\dne 

of, 263, 325, 367-9, 398 
Brandenburg- Culmbach, Princess of, 

325 
Brandenburg House, 233 
Brewer, von, 87, 385 
Broglio, Count, 364 
Bruno w, 42 
Brunswick, Duchess of, 305-6, 312, 

314 
Brunswick-Bevern, see Bevern 
Biilow, MdUe. von, 93, 106, 125, 129, 

146 
Biirstell, von, 216, 228, 240 

C. 

Carnival, 334, 427 

Caroline, see Anspach 

Caroline, von Marwitz, see Marwitz 

Carlsbad, 238 

Cartaret, Lord, 46 

Charles, see Bevern, Germany, 

Sweden 
Charlotte, see Baireuth, Prussia 
Charlottenburg, 30, 306 
Charlottenburg, Treaty of, 57 
Chesterfield, Lord, 150, 184 
Clement, 14, 15, 18 
Cleve, 57, note 



Cobentzel, Count, 437 

Coburg, Visit to, 267 

Coburg, Duke of, 345-6 

Cologne, Elector of, 444 

Comartin, von. 445 

Council of State, 376 

Courland, Duke of, 196 

Courland, Duchess of, 23 

Croom, 10, 11 

Crown Prince, see Prussia, Frederick 

IIL 
Crown Princess, see Prussia 
Culmbach, Margravine, see Bninden- 

burg-Culmbach 
Culmbach, Prince of, 252, 257, 311, 

356 
Culmbach, Prince William of, 255 
Dowager-Princess, 255 
Princess, 238 



Dabeneck, M. von, 220 
Danish Envoy, see Lovner 
Darmstadt, Landgrave of, 408-11 
Darmstadt, Prince of, 409-10 
Denmark, King of, 3, 9, 396-7 
Denmark, Queen of (Princess of 

Baireuth), 396-7 
Derchow, 137 
Diefenbrock, von, 241, 407 
Dobeneck, M. von, 418 
Donep, Col., 193-4 
Donhoflf, 153 
Doston, 139-40 

Dowr^- of Prince Henry, 210. 212 
Dresden, Polish Court at, 62 
Diihan, 146 
Diimoulin, General, 150 

E. 

East Friesland, Prince of, 345 

East Friesland, Princess of, see Bai- 
reuth, Wilhelmine 

East India Company at Ostend, 56 

Eberstein, Princess of, see Kendal, 
Duchess of 

E^loffstein, von, 264 

Eisenach, Princess of, 288 

Ellerot, 380, 395, 418-9 

Emperor, see Germany 

Empress, see Germany 

Ems, Visit to, 406-8 



INDEX. 



455 



England, King of, George I., 39; in 
Prussia, 45 ; in Hanover, 48 ; 
Death, 60; George II., 201-2 
Queen Caroline of Anspach, 39 
Princess Amelia, ] 4, 274 
English Envoy, see Bourguait, M. de 
Eugene, see Savoy 
Eversmann, 32, 93, 98, 158, 160, 161 

F. 

Fackeltanz, see Polonaise 
Finkenstein, Count, 1, 27, 77, 87, 94 
Finkenstein, Countess, 80, 82, 129, 

242 
Flemming, Count, 65, 69 
Fischer, von, 223, 226, 286 
" Flora, Aunt," see Sonnsfeld 
Florence, Archduke of, 396 
France, 323, 385 
Franke, 61 

Frankfort, Visits to, 411, 442-8 
Fraueustadt, 280 
Friederichshall, 13 
Frederick I,, see Prussia 
Frederick II., see Prussia 
Frederick III., see Prussia 
Frederick William, see Brandenburg 
Frederica, see Baireuth 
Frederica, Sophie Wilhelmine, see 

Prussia 
French Envoy, see Rotenburg 

G. 

Gallizin, Princess, 26 
Gefres, 220 

George I. , see England 
George II., see England 
George Frederick Charles, see Bai- 
reuth 
Gera, 217 
Gerber, 142, 148 
Germany — 

Emperor Charles IV., 411 

Emperor Charles VI., 56, 238, 
434 

Charles VII. (Elector of Bavaria), 
439, 448 

Empress, 238, 276, 303 

Empress, 448 
Gleichen, M. von, 223, 246 
Glogan, Capture of, 437 
Gloucester, Duke of 



" Golden Bull," 411 

Gokel, 364 

Gravenreuter, Mdme. von, 223 

Grumkow, 5, 6, 49, 50, 95, 76, 77, 87, 
110, 112, 126, 129, 131, 142, 148, 
163, 171, 188, 198, 203-4, 211, 247 

Grumkow, Mdlle. von, 250, 268, 310, 
400, 417 

Gastalla, Battle of, 364 

H. 

Halberstadt, 397 

Halle, Visit to, 321 

Hanover, Queen of Prussia in, 51 

Hanover, Elector of, see England 

Hanover, Princesses of, see Prussia, 

Queens 
Hartenberg, Mdme. von, 407 
Hartmann, 419 
Heidekamm, 18 
Henry, Prince, see Baireuth 
" Hermitage, The," 238, 401-3 
Herfort, Abbess of, see Schwedt, 

Margravine Philip 
Hessberg, 379 
Hesse, Prince William of, 193, 411 ; 

Princess, 409 
Hesse-Cassel, Prince George of, 444 
Hesse-Cassel, Princess Maximilian 

of, 409 
Himmelscron 
Hoditz, Count, 367-9 
Hof, 217, 354 
Hohenlohe-Weikersheim, Prince of, 

238 
Holstein, Duke of, 215 
Holstein, Princess of, 206 
Holzendorf, 16, 66, 70, 86, 87 
Hotham, 111, 113, 114, 119 
Hutten, Mdlle. von, 417 



Jablousky, 126 

Jordan, 434 

Juch, Dr., 371 

Jiilich and Berg, see Allodial Estates 

K. 

Kaiserling, von, 87, 301 
Kalstein, Major, 27, 87 
Kamke, von, 19 



456 



INDEX. 



Kateck, 22 

Katt, 91, 110, 125, 128, 132, 142-3, 

148, 153-5 ; letter, 156 
Keith, Genera], 382 
Keith (page), 72, 137, 148-50 
Kendal, Duchess of, 394 
Kielmansegge, see Arlington 
Klingrave, von, 447 
Klosterzina, 215 
Kniephausen, von, 93 
Konigseck, Count, 364 
Konnken, Mdme. von, 27, 100, 144, 

271 
Konnken, Mdlle. von, 159 
Korff, von, 223 
Ktistrin, 154, 163, 202 

L. 

La Crape, 10 

Lamotte, M. de, 78, 79, 83 
Leman, 18 
Leipsic, 216-7 
Leti, 28, 29, 33-7, 42 
Letters, Casket of, 133, 140 
Lienz, Engagement at, 445 
Linger, Major-General, 153 
Lixin, Prince, 358 
Lorraine, Duchy of, 385 
Lovner, von, 114, 121 

M. 

Makenhau, 193 

Manteuffel, Count, 17 

Maria Theresa, Queen of Hungary, 

437 
Marie Therfese, Arch-Duchess, 396 
Marriage Treaty of Princess of 

Baireuth, 210 
Marwitz, General, 312, 438 
Marwitz, Mdlle. von, 242, 268, 324, 

328, 361, 384, 436, 440-1, 451-2 
Marwitz, Albertine and Caroline 

von, 384, 443, 451 
Maupertius, 434 
Meermans, The, 421-7 
Meiningen, see Saxe-Meiningen 
Mistress of Kobes, see Konnken, 

Mdnie. von 
Mollwitz, Battle of, 438 
Monbijou, 24, 27 
Monplaisir, 244 
Montaulieu, M. de, 448 
Morian, Mdme. von, 435 



Mosel, 139 
Miihlberg, 114 
MUnichbruck, 408 
Mlinichon, von, 338-43, 432 
Mylius, 142, 148 

N. 
Naples, 385 

Nassmer, Marshal von, 23 
Natzmer, 164 
Nauen, 209 

Neisse, Capture of, 438 
Neustadt, Prince of, 259, 294 
Neustadt, Margrave at, 294 
Nissa, Capture of, 404 
Nuremberg, Diet of, 411 



Orselska Countess, 64, 68 
Orange, Prince of, 2, 444 

P. 

Pannewitz, Mdlle. von, 270 

Pasewalk, 190 

Peter the Great, see Russia 

Philip, Margravine of Schwedt, 214, 
300 

Philippsburg, Siege of, 358 

Philippsruhe, 411 

"Pietisten," The, 427 

Podewils, 171, 198 

Poland, CroA^Ti Prince of, 68, 90 ; 
king of, 3, 17, 62, 68, 70, 90, 108, 
280 

Poland, Parties in, 323, 324 

Polnitz, 381-2, 407, 441 

Polnitz (lady-in-waiting), 39-41 

Polonaise at Royal Weddings, 201 

Pommersfeld, 385-6 

Poniatowsky, Prince, 12 

Pragmatic Sanction, 385 

Prussia, Kings — 

Frederick I., 1, 2, 5 
Frederick 11, , marriage, 1 ; cha- 
racter, 5, 18 ; illness, 15 ; Avill, 
15; illness, 31, hvpochondria, 
61 ; at Dresden, 62 ; gout, 83 ; 
letter to Finkenstein, 94 ; at 
Dresden, 108 ; at Baireuth, 
246 ; fit, 294 j gout, 314 ; ill- 
ness, 361 ; recovery, 370 ; 
habits, 247, 248; dislike of 
music, 291 ; death, 429 



INDEX. 



457 



Prussia, Kings — 

Frederick William (Frederick the 
Great), birth, 4 ; disposition, 
13 ; in disgrace, 54 ; forgiven, 
56 ; at Dresden, 63 : in love, 
66-7 ; father's violence, 92 ; 
arrest, 130 ; at Anspach, 136 ; 
attempted escape, 140 ; at 
Klistrin, 147 ; enquiry on, 
148 ; Court-martial, 153 ; im- 
prisonment, 163 ; works as 
clerk, 202 ; return to Berlin, 
203; colonelcy, 205; engage- 
ment, 230 ; money from 
Austria, 258 ; marriage, 301 ; 
march through Baireuth, 353 ; 
deterioration, 359; atBaireuth, 
366 ; letters from, 399. 414 ; 
accession, 431 ; complaints 
against, 433 
Prussia, Kingdom of, 69, note 
Prussia, Queens — 

Sophie Charlotte, of Hanover 
(--= Frederick I.), 1 

Princess of Hanover (= Fred- 
erick II.), marriage, 1 ; in 
Hanover, 51 ; jealousy, 52, 53 ; 
portrait, 76 ; illness, 108-11 

Princess of Bevern (= Frederick 
III.), 230, 273, 302, 305 

Princes — Frederick, see Frederick 
William ; William, 12, 31 ; 
Augustus William, 39 ; Henry, 
53 ; Augustus Ferdinand, 114 

Princesses — 

Frederica Sophie Wilhelmine, 
Margravine of Baireuth, birth, 
3 ; education, 9, 10, 37-9 ; 
memory, 41 ; projected marri- 
ages, 7, 9, 72, 99, 105, 158, 166- 
176; betrothal, 183; marriage, 
199 ; illness, 52, 86 ; at Bai- 
reuth, 220 ; at Anspach, 264 ; 
at Berlin, 269 ; return to Biii- 
reuth, 321 ; at Anspach, 337 ; 
at Erlangen, 386, 394 ; at 
Berlin, 432, 436 

Frederica Louise, Margravine of 
Anspach, 83, 89, 195-6, 209, 
289, 323, 386, 388-9, 393-4 

Charlotte, Duchess of Bevern, 
185, 192-3, 196, 230, 273-4, 283, 
299, 308, 315 

Amelia, 64 



Prussia, Princesses — • 

Anna Maria, 47 

Sophie, 167, 271, 369 

Ulrica, 271 
Pultowa, Battle of, 323 

R. 

Kadziwill, Princess, 322 

Ramen, 64, 70, 79, 93, 98, 104, 110, 

177, 188, 310, 315 
Recruiting, Prussian, in Baireuth, 

338 ; in Hanover, 48 
Red Eagle, Order of, 233 
Reichenbach, 113 
Reinbeck, 132 
Reitzenstein, 254 
Reuss, Countess von, 408-9 
" Reuss, Countess of," 446 
Rheinsberg, Visit to, 434 
Rhine, Campaigns on the, 358, 381 
Rochow, Col., 87, 117, 138 
Rocoule, Mdme. von, 9, 10, 160 
"Romer, The," 411 
Rosenau, see Clement 
Rotenburg, Count von, 59 
Rothenhahn, Baron von, 388 
Rovedel, 163 

Ruppin, Crown Prince at, 274, 282 
Ruppin, Prince Henry at, 287 
Russia, Emperor and Empress, 24-27 
War with Turkey, 324, 396 

S. 

Sardinia, King of, 364 

Sastof, von, 79, 188, 203, 300 

Saxe-Gotha, Princess of, 396 

Saxe-Meininger 

Saxon Army, 9 

Saxon Envoy, see Flemming, Man- 

teuffel, Suhm 
Saxony, Elector of, 323 
Savoy, Prince Eugene, 358 
Schlippenbach, von, 311 
Schonburg, 384 

Schwedt, Margrave of, 8, 9, 101, 369, 
Schwedt, Margravine Philip, 103, 

120, 214, 300 
Schwedt, Prince Henry, 359-60, 369 
Schwerin, Marshal von, 447 
Seckendorf, Count von, 57, 60, 110, 

112, 118, 247, 275, 404 
Seckendorf, Baron von, 244, 268, 

405-6 



458 



I^'DEX. 



Seth, 6 

Sicilv, 385 

SHesia, 434, 436 

Sonnsfeld. Mdlle. von. 37-8, 99-100, 

146, 160, 199, 214, 234, 267, 332, 

387-8 
Sonnsfeld, Flora von, 265, 329-34, 

339, 355-6, 361-2, 372 
Sophie, see Prussia, Princesses; Sophie 

Charlotte, see Prussia, Queen 
Spain, Treaty with Austria, 56 
Span, 143 
Stahl, 248 
Stanislaus, 323 
Stein, Baron von, 223 
Stein, Baroness von, 224 
Stocker, von, 306 
Stralsund, Siege of, 9 
Stuttgart, Visit to, 452 
Suhm, M. de, 63 
Sulzbach, Prince of, 439 
Sulzbach, Princesses of, 439, 444 
Supperville. 415-7 
Sweden, 1. 9, 13 
Sweden, King Charles XII., 323 



T. 

'' Tabagie, The," 10 
Taxis, Princess of, 260, 285, 288 
Tertoso, Mdlle. von, 435 
Theodore, Prince, 444 
Thulemeier, 171, 177, 198 
Townsend, Lord, 46 
Trosqui, 21 

Turkey, War with Eussia, 396 
Turkey, ATar with Austria, 404 
Tuscany, Grand Duchy of, 385 
Uhica, Princess of Sweden, 1 
Ulrika, Princess of Prussia, 

Prussia 
Ussingen, Prince of, 271 



V. 

Vielseck, 382 

Vienna, Treaty of, 56 

Viereck, 89 

Vittingshofen, von, 224 

Vobser, 325 

Voit, M. von, 181, 198, 200, 210-11 

Voltaire, 434 

W. 

AVackholz, von, 322 

AVagniss, Mdme. von, 11-12 

Wales. Frederick. Prince of, George, 

Prince of, see England, Cxeorge II. 
Wales, Princess of, 396 
Wallen, 163 
Wallenrodt, 52 
Weldon, 137-9 
Wartensleben 

Weikersheim, see Hohenlohe 
Weimar, Duke of, 344. 345, 350 
Weissenfels, Prince Johann AdoK of, 

68, 71-3. 91, 101, 260 
Wesel, 138 

Westerhagen. von. 384. 400 
"White Lady, -•■ The, 327 
William, see Prussia, Princes 
William, Prince o£ Cuhnbach, see 

Culm bach 
Wolmirstatten, Abbess of, see Sonns- 
feld, Mdme. von 
Wiirtemberg, Duke of, 178, 230 
Wiirtemberg, Duchess of, 440, 442, 

451 
Wiirtemberg, Prince, 440 ; Prince 

Louis, 365 
Wiirzburg, 412; Abbess of, 386-7, 

412 ; See of, 389 
Wusterhausen, 30, 72, 89, 191, 194 



Zachini, 405 

Zelle, Prince Henry at, 398 

Zeitz, 370, 381 



HENDERSON, EAIT, & SPALDING, PEINTEKS, 3 «& 5, ]M.\IiYLEBONE LANE, W, 



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